useful in assessing the availability of natural mentors and the quality of these

relationships for ethnic minority youth.

 General Discussion

 Adolescence is a time of growth, transition, and unfortunately risk for a variety of

mental health problems. There has been a large body of research examining various risk

factors for emotional and behavioral disturbance during adolescence. However, there has

been significantly less research examining issues that are specific to ethnic minority

group members. Ethnic identity and its relationship to mental health outcomes is one new

area of research that needs to be expanded. The mentoring literature is also under the

early stages of development. The existence of natural mentors and the roles they play in

the lives of adolescents are important research topics. Lastly, the question of how ethnic

mentors may influence ethnic identity and enhance mental health has yet to be answered.