UMass Boston

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Jean Rhodes

Department:
Psychology
Title:
Professor A
Location:
Wheatley Hall Floor 04
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Biography

Dr. Rhodes is the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has devoted her career to understanding and advancing the role of intergenerational relationships in the intellectual, social, educational, and career development of youth. She has published three books, four edited volumes, and over 100 chapters and peer-reviewed articles on topics related to positive youth development, the transition to adulthood, and mentoring.

Area of Expertise

Mentoring relationships, risk and protective factors in adolescent development, emerging adulthood, preventive interventions

Degrees

PhD, DePaul University

Professional Publications & Contributions
  • Schwartz, S., Kanchewa, S., Spencer, R. Parnes, M. & Rhodes (in press). I’m having a little struggle with this, can you help me out?”: Examining impacts and processes of a social capital intervention for first-generation college students. American Journal of Community Psychology.
  • Kupersmidt, J., Stump, K., Stelter, R., & Rhodes, J. (2017). Predictors of premature match closure in youth mentoring relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59, 25-35.
  • Raposa, E.B., Dietz, N., & Rhodes, J.E. (2017). Trends in Volunteer Mentoring in the United States: Analysis of a Decade of Census Survey Data. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1, 1-12.
  • Arcaya, M., Lowe, S., Asad, A.L, Subramanian, S.V., Waters, M.C., & Rhodes, J. (2017). Association of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms with Migraine and Headache after a Natural Disaster. Health Psychology. Advance online publication.
  • Kanchewa, S. Yoviene, L. A. , Schwartz, S. E. O.,Herrera, C. & Rhodes, J.E. (2016). Relational experiences in school-based mentoring: The mediating role of rejection sensitivity. Youth & Society, 1-22.
  • Raposa, E. & Rhodes, J. (2016). The Impact of Youth Risk on Mentoring. Relationship Quality: Do Mentor Characteristics Matter? American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol 57(3-4), Jun, 2016 pp. 320-329.
  • Schwartz, S. & Rhodes, J. (2016). From treatment to empowerment: New approaches to youth mentoring. American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol 58(1-2), Sep, 2016 pp. 150-157.
  • Chan, C. S., Lowe, S. R., Weber, E., & Rhodes, J. E. (2015).The contribution of pre- and postdisaster social support to short- and long-term mental health after Hurricanes Katrina: A longitudinal study of low-income survivors. Social Science & Medicine, 138, 38-43.
  • Schwartz, S., Rhodes, J., & Herrera, C. (2011). The impact of school-based mentoring on youth with different relational profiles. Developmental Psychology, 47, 450-462.
  • Lowe, S. R., Chan, C. , & Rhodes, J. E. (2010). Pre-Hurricane social support protects against psychological distress: An analysis of young, low-income, predominantly African-American mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 78, 551-560.
  • Rhodes, J., Chan, C., Paxson, C., Rouse, C. E., Waters, M. & Fussell, E. (2010). The impact of Hurricane Katrina on the mental and physical health of low-income parents in New Orleans. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80, 237-247.
  • Rhodes, J., Liang, B., & Spencer, R. (2009). First do no harm: Ethical principles for youth mentoring relationships. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 452-458.
  • Rhodes, J. E. (2002). Stand by me: Risks and rewards in youth mentoring. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Additional Information

Dr. Rhodes is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research and Community Action, and was a Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation. She has been awarded many campus-wide teaching awards for her advances in pedagogy and scholarship, including the Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Scholar Award, the Student Government Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Chancellor’s Outstanding Scholar award at UMB.

Current Research

Jean Rhodes' research is focused on two main areas: adolescents' mentoring relationships and young adults' responses to trauma and natural disaster. Rhodes and her students are currently involved in a range of research projects that address the role of both formal and informal mentors in vulnerable groups including children of prisoners, community college students, high school dropouts, and low-income children in after-school settings. Rhodes and students are also examining the life course of low-income parents who were exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Drawing from a unique panel dataset that follows individuals from more than a year before the hurricane to several years afterwards, they are documenting changes in the physical and mental health of study participants.