Mentoring: Resource for lowering job stress or just another headache?

Abstract

Previous research has examined the benefits that protégés’ (and to a lesser extent, mentors and organizations) receive from mentoring. Surprisingly, however, there has been a lack of research on the potential negative effects of mentoring on the mentor and the protégé. As per the stressor–strain model, mentors might help relieve job stress by providing protégés with emotional support or teaching stress management skills. Conversely, mentoring might cause strain by increasing the workload for protégés and mentors. In the current evaluation of the literature, we address whether mentoring is better described as causing or mitigating job stress. Overall, studies showed that for protégés, mentoring related to less role ambiguity and role conflict, but mixed findings regarding work–family conflict and subjective stress. There is an inadequate number of studies to address other mentoring–stress relationships. In general, this body of research is scanty but may have important practical implications regarding employee health. Thus, further exploration of the relationship between mentoring and stress, particularly for the mentor, is encouraged. Toward this goal, the current paper provides explicit research questions that can be addressed as we continue to aim toward practical implications.