Citizen Advocacy Relationships: Advocate,Protegé,and Relationship Characteristics and Satisfaction Ratings

Abstract

This study assessed personal and relationship characteristics of 75 advocate-protegé pairs involved in citizen advocacy relationships and related them to ratings of advocate and protegé satisfaction with the relationships. Advocates included disproportionate numbers of women and single and/or childless persons but otherwise varied greatly in age, education, employment status, income, motivations, and attitudes. Protegés were fairly representative in age, gender, and functional skills of persons with mental retardation residing in the community. Relationships varied greatly in duration, frequency of contact, activity patterns, and social support characteristics, but tended to be seen as reciprocal in nature by advocates. Both advocates and protegés reported relatively high levels of satisfaction. Frequency of contact and satisfaction ratings were unrelated to protegé characteristics and to most advocate characteristics. Higher levels of satisfaction were reported by advocates who more frequently provided interpersonal feedback, as opposed to instrumental support or assistance, and who more frequently engaged in mutual, community-based activities with protegés. The results of the study thus suggest that satisfaction with advocacy relationships is more a function of what advocates and protegés do together than of their personal traits.

Keywords

advocacy citizen advocacy friendship integration mental retardation quality of life social interaction

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