Formal mentoring includes matched mentoring relationships through programs and organizations, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Friends of the Children, and more. The Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring engages in advancing a range of research designed to advance a more theoretically informed and practically applicable understanding of adolescents’ and young adults’ relationships with mentors in programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and beyond. Within this context, we have sought to uncover the basic processes involved in mentoring relationships, and to understand how certain youth are profoundly affected by the relationships, while others appear to benefit little or even are harmed.
Selected Publications
Werntz, A., Poon, C. Y. S., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023). Striking the balance: The relative benefits of goal- and youth-focused approaches to youth mentoring relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01751-4 [PDF]
Hull, T., Krishnan, K., & Rhodes, J. (in press). Student loans, employment readiness, and labor market outcomes. Journal of Student Financial Aid.
Stelter, R., Stump, K., Rhodes, J., & Kupersmidt, J. (In press). A randomized controlled trial of enhanced mentoring program practices for children of incarcerated caregivers: "Assessing impacts on youth and match outcomes" Journal of Community Psychology.
Werntz, A., Amando, S., Jasman, M., Ervin, A, & Rhodes, H. (2023). Providing human support for the use of digital mental health interventions: Systematic meta-review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journal of Medical Internet Research. 25, e42864, p.1. [PDF]
Werntz, A., Jasman, M., Simeon, K., Gunasekaran, H., Yowell, C., & Rhodes, J. (2023). Implementation of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system for first-year university students.,Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.DOI: 10.1007/s41347-023-00303-8. [PDF]
Poon, C. Y. S., Herrera, C., Jarjoura, R., Keller, T., McQuillin, S. D., Keller, T., & Rhodes, J. E. (2022). Deconstructing “risk” in youth mentoring programs: How environmental stressors and patterns of presenting challenges shape youth outcomes. [PDF]
Burton, S., Raposa, E.B., Poon, C.Y., Stams, G, Rhodes, J. (2021). Cross-age peer mentoring for youth. A meta-analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1-17. [PDF]
Poon, C. Y. S., Christensen, K. M., & Rhodes, J. E. (2021). A meta-analysis of the effects of mentoring on youth in foster care. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01472-6. [PDF]
McQuillin, S. D., Hagler, M. A., Werntz, A., & Rhodes, J. E. (2021). Paraprofessional youth mentoring: A framework for integrating youth mentoring with helping institutions and professions. American Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12546 [PDF]
Raposa, E. B., Rhodes, J., Stams, G.J., Card, N., Burton, S., Schwartz, S., Sykes, L.Y., Kanchewa, S., Kupersmidt, J., and Hussain, S. (2019). The effects of youth mentoring programs: A meta-analysis of outcome studies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. [PDF]
Raposa, E., Eli-Yahu, A., Olsho, L., & Rhodes, J., (2018). Birds of a feather: Is matching based on shared interests and characteristics associated with longer youth mentoring relationships? Journal of Community Psychology, 1-18, DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22127 [PDF]
Stump, K. N., Kupersmidt, J. B., Stelter, R. L., & Rhodes, J. E. (2018). Mentoring program enhancements supporting effective mentoring of children of incarcerated parents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 62:163–174. [PDF]
Rhodes, J., Schwartz, S., Willis, M. M. & Wu, M. V. (2017) Validating a mentoring relationship quality scale: Does match strength predict match length? Youth & Society, 49(4) 415-437. [PDF]
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. [PDF]
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. [PDF]
Kupersmidt, J., Stump, K., Stelter, R. & Rhodes, J. (2017). Mentoring program practices as predictors of match longevity. Journal of Community Psychology, 1, 1-16. [PDF]
Kanchewa, S. Yoviene, L. A. , Schwartz, Sarah E. O.,Herrera, C. & Rhodes, J.E. (2016). Relational experiences in school-based mentoring: The mediating role of rejection sensitivity. Youth & Society, 1-22. [PDF]
Raposa, Elizabeth & Rhodes, Jean. (2016). The impact of youth risk on mentoring. Relationship quality: Do mentor characteristics matter? American Journal of Community Psychology, 57(3-4), 320-329. [PDF]
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. [PDF]
Kanchewa, S., Rhodes, J. E., Schwartz, S. E. O., & Olsho, L. (2014). The Influence of same versus cross-gender matching in formal youth mentoring programs. Applied Developmental Science, 18, 31-45. [PDF]
Chan, C.S., Rhodes, J.E., Howard, W.J., Lowe, S. R., Schwartz, S. E. O., & Herrera, C.(2013). Pathways of influence in school-based mentoring: The mediating role of parent and teacher relationships. Journal of School Psychology, 51(1), 129-142. [PDF]
Rhodes, J., Liang, B., & Spencer, R. (2013). First do no harm: Ethics in youth mentoring. In D.L. DuBois & M. Karcher (Eds.). The Handbook of Youth Mentoring, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(2), 57-91.[PDF]
Schwartz, S. E. O., Rhodes, J. E., Chan, C. S., & Herrera, C. (2011). The impact of school-based mentoring on youths with different relational profiles. Developmental Psychology,47(2), 450-462.[PDF]
Rhodes, J. & Bogat, G.A. (2005). “Mentoring programs.” In K. Borman, K, E. Spencer-Cahill, & B. Cotner (Eds). American High Schools: A Handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
