Study of Important Youth-Adult Relationships (YAR Study)

A major goal of this longitudinal project is to identify characteristics of relationships that appeal to youth, contextual sources of YARs, and features of youth-serving settings that foster or impede supportive YARs. We will analyze the phenomena of YARs from the perspective of youth, to understand how they choose, assess and utilize these relationships, their potential social capital and psychosocial benefits, and how settings can foster or constrain youths’ and adults’ abilities to develop these connections. This study is supported by a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation.