CHAPTER 3
 METHODOLOGY

 Research is needed that examines the relationships between individual and social

factors and mental health outcomes in adolescents. This area of research has typically

neglected factors that have particular relevance to ethnic minorities. Discovering what

attributes or strengths may protect adolescents from emotional and behavioral problems

is also an understudied area of research.

 The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between ethnic

identity, mentorship, and adolescent mental health from a nursing perspective. The

Neuman Systems Model provided the framework for this study (Neuman, 1995). This

enables the findings to add to the body of knowledge within the applied field of nursing

science. The specific aims included: evaluating the relationship between ethnic identity

and adverse mental health outcomes, comparing the mental health of those that have a

mentor and those that do not, and examining the moderating effect of an ethnic mentor

on ethnic identity and adverse mental health outcomes.

 Design

 This study utilized a cross-sectional, multi-site survey design. It was part of a

larger study that addressed several psychological constructs related to school violence.

The larger research study was entitled "National Middle-School Survey: School Violence

and Beliefs About Self, Others, and the Future" (Miller et al., 2001). The primary

purpose of the larger study was to develop a survey instrument that measures