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BackgroundThere are large disparities between immigrants and native Norwegians in domains such as health, education, and employment. Reducing such disparities is essential for individual and societal well-being. Social capital is associated with positive effects on these domains, and mentoring programs have the potential to boost social capital. However, few studies have assessed mentoring as a social capital intervention among youth or the potential barriers and facilitators of implementing digitally augmented mentoring. ObjectiveThe goal of this paper is to describe a protocol for assessing the implementation and effectiveness of a digitally augmented mentoring program for immigrant youth as a health intervention to promote social capital. The two-stage analytical framework for a pilot study followed by a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is presented. The pilot aims to assess program fidelity and make necessary intervention adjustments before the RCT. The RCT aims to assess the effects of the implemented intervention program on social capital and the relationship between program fidelity and effects. MethodsBoth the pilot and RCT will use mixed methods with a process evaluation approach used to structure the intervention and a pre-post test survey component to measure social capital and fidelity of program implementation. Interviews will also be used to enrich the quantitative data from the survey. ResultsThe pilot study is scheduled to begin in fall 2019. Based on data analyses in spring 2020, potential adjustments will be made to the intervention, with findings used in preparation for the full-scale RCT study. ConclusionsDigitally enhanced mentoring programs may be a helpful intervention for providing immigrant youth with tools for increasing their social capital and indirectly improving health outcomes. This protocol provides new knowledge about the implementation and evaluation of such programs. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/16472

BackgroundMentoring programs (ie, programs that connect youths with adult volunteers) have been shown to improve outcomes across the behavioral, social, and academic domains of youth development. As in other European countries, mentoring programs have few traditions in Norway, where interventions for multicultural youths are usually profession driven and publicly funded. Faced with the risk of disparities in education and health, there is a need to better understand this group’s experiences and requirements relative to mentoring. This would also serve as a basis for designing and implementing digital support. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to gain insight into multicultural youth mentees’ and adult mentors’ experiences and needs in the context of an ongoing mentoring program, how digital support (electronic mentoring) might address these needs, and how such support could be designed and implemented. MethodsThe study used a qualitative approach, with data from 28 respondents (21 mentees and 7 mentors). In total, 4 workshops with mentees as well as semistructured interviews with mentees and mentors were conducted. The sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. ResultsIn total, 3 main themes were identified from the experiences and needs reported by the mentees and mentors. These included a need for connection, help in achieving goals, and the need for security and control. Subthemes encompassed a desire to socialize with others, balancing the nature of the relationship, paying it forward, building trust, sharing insights and information with peers, goal-oriented mentees and mentors wanting to assist with goal achievement, and the fundamental need for privacy and anonymity in the digital platform. ConclusionsThe findings of this study are supported by the literature on traditional mentoring, while also offering suggestions for the design of digital solutions to supplement the in-person mentoring of multicultural youth. Suggestions include digital support for managing the mentee-mentor relationships, fostering social capital, and ways of ensuring security and control. Features of existing electronic health apps can be readily adapted to a mentoring program context, potentially boosting the reach and benefits of mentoring.

Abstract\nPoints of interestHow do local Norwegian work, welfare, and health services (WWH services) support the labor market integration of chronically ill people? We discuss how user organization representatives evaluate the role of municipal-level service support in facilitating labor market participation of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and to what extent the views of user organizations are requested and included in local service development. We thus contribute to the limited research on the role of WWH services for work inclusion from the user perspective. Our analysis rests on an original web-based survey, combining qualitative and quantitative data, and a focus group discussion. Although user representatives call for strengthening of services, they also view employers’ adaptations as being more important than local services. And despite their expertise, user organizations are only included in local service development to a limited extent.This study is based on the perspectives of user organization representatives. They are leaders or secretaries for organizations in the Norwegian Federation of Organizations of Disabled People, the largest national umbrella organization for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.These user representatives have broad knowledge of what really matters for people with chronic illnesses who are seeking a job and how services meant to help them should work.According to these user representatives, employer adaptations and attitudes are more important for work inclusion than local services.Main barriers to work inclusion are limited service capacity, little personalized support, and insufficient employer adaptations.User organizations are rarely consulted or involved in local service development. However, involving user representatives in this way could use their knowledge to improve services for people with chronic illnesses.This study is based on the perspectives of user organization representatives. They are leaders or secretaries for organizations in the Norwegian Federation of Organizations of Disabled People, the largest national umbrella organization for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.These user representatives have broad knowledge of what really matters for people with chronic illnesses who are seeking a job and how services meant to help them should work.According to these user representatives, employer adaptations and attitudes are more important for work inclusion than local services.Main barriers to work inclusion are limited service capacity, little personalized support, and insufficient employer adaptations.User organizations are rarely consulted or involved in local service development. However, involving user representatives in this way could use their knowledge to improve services for people with chronic illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the association between parental unemployment and grade point average and school completion in adolescence, and the importance of family cohesion, parental education, and family income in explaining these associations.Data stem from the Norwegian cross-sectional 2012 youth@hordaland-survey including 8437 adolescents (53.4% girls). Information on grade point average, school completion, parental education, and family income were retrieved from the National Education Database. Parental work status and family cohesion were assessed by adolescent self-report.Adolescents with at least one unemployed parent had lower grade point averages (3.49 compared with 3.92, P<0.001) and rates of school completion (71.9% compared with 86.6%, P<0.001) compared with adolescents with two working parents. The associations between parental unemployment and both grade point average (b = −0.22, 95% confidence interval −0.32, –0.12) and school completion (odds ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.46, 0.76) partly attenuated but remained significant when taking family cohesion, parental education, and family income into account. There was a significant interaction between parental unemployment and family cohesion on grade point average, in which the positive association between family cohesion and grade point average was weaker for adolescents with unemployed parents. Adolescents with parents outside of the workforce are at higher risk of poorer educational outcomes than peers with working parents. Combined with the positive associations between parental education, family cohesion, family income, and educational outcomes, this underscores the importance of parents for adolescent educational outcomes, and suggests that parents and the family situation should be considered when providing academic support for adolescents who struggle in upper secondary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]