Role Expectations Among Mentors for Care Leavers: Focusing on Hope, Closeness, and Coping Strategies

The goal of the present study was to examine the role expectations of mentors for care leavers and the factors associated with these expectations—namely, hope, coping strategies, and anticipated closeness with the mentee. The sample included 133 mentors at the beginning of the mentoring relationship. The findings showed that mentors who exhibited higher levels of hope and utilized problem-focused coping strategies were significantly more likely to have task-oriented role expectations. Additionally, the mediation analysis revealed that problem-focused coping served as a mediator, explaining the link between mentors’ levels of hope and their task-oriented role expectations. We address the study’s findings as they pertain to Snyder’s (2002) hope theory and Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional model of stress and coping. Implications for practice include emphasizing the importance of having mentors discuss their initial expectations of the mentoring relationship. In addition, mentoring programs should foster hope among mentors and assess their coping strategies at the outset of the mentor–mentee relationship in order to identify well-suited pairings of mentors–mentees.