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Wendy de los Reyes, PhD

Community & Developmental Psychologist

My research program adopts a strengths-based approach to examining the development of Latinx and immigrant-origin adolescents. I explore three interrelated lines of inquiry: 1) How youth resist structural inequities through supportive mentoring relationships, 2) How nonparental adults partner in youth-led social change, and 3) How institutions expand youth voice to address social inequities. I ground my work in cultural-ecological systems theory to conceptualize development as an ongoing reciprocal process between the individual’s characteristics and those of their surrounding environments, from their immediate context (e.g., family, school) to broader policies and societal influences. This theoretical grounding informs how I examine youth-adult relationships within youth-serving settings, such as schools and community organizations, shaped by macro-level contexts (e.g., racism, adultism, xenophobia). 

Bio

Wendy is currently a T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in Community Psychology from DePaul University in 2023. Prior to starting her PhD, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Florida Campus Compact, held an internship with the Florida Department of Children and Families in the Office of Refugee Services, and worked with a series of nonprofits in her previous residence of Nashville, TN. She began her professional work with immigrant and refugee communities while pursuing her M.S.Ed. in Community and Social Change at the University of Miami (UM); obtaining this degree in 2016. She also received her B.S.Ed. in Human and Social Development (community development concentration) and Psychology from UM in 2013.

Wendy has worked on a number of research projects surrounding the immigrant and refugee experience, from issues pertaining the employment and health of adults to youth development. While in Chicago, she has collaborated with the Rohingya Culture Center, RefugeeOne, the Coalition of Immigrant Mental Health, the DePaul Migration Collaborative, and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. Currently, she is leading a research project on the sociopolitical development of immigrant-origin Latinx youth. 

Much of Wendy's work is contextualized by her identity as an immigrant, a Latina, and a first-generation college student. She migrated to the U.S. from Cuba at the age of 6, and grew up in a diverse immigrant community in Miami, Florida. She is a native Spanish and English speaker and has working knowledge of French and Portuguese.

Bio

Latest Publication

Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

Building a home in Chicago: Integration and mental 

health in a Rohingya refugee community

Objective: Since 2010, approximately 1,000–1,500 Rohingya refugees have resettled in Chicago, Illinois, but

there is limited literature on their postresettlement experiences. This study explored the relationship between

integration (economic, linguistic, navigational, psychological, and social) and psychological distress among

the Rohingya community in Chicago, and how it relates to age and gender. Method: This studywas conducted

in collaborationwith theRohingya CulturalCenter in 2019. The survey was verbally administered to Rohingya

community members (N = 308;Mage = 37.03; 52%men). A χ2 test of independence was used to assess gender

differences in employment status. A Generalized Wilcoxon Test was conducted to compare differences in

integration and psychological distress among men and women. Multiple γ generalized regression analysis was

used to examine psychological distress as the outcome, predicted by integration, age, and gender. Results:

Findings showed that men had higher levels of involvement in the labor force than women, as well as higher

levels of linguistic integration. Analyses also revealed that women and older participants were more likely to

experience psychological distress. Additionally, higher psychological and navigational integration were

associated with lower psychological distress. In contrast, lower social integration was significantly associated

with lower psychological distress. Conclusion: This study points to the importance of a more nuanced

approach to integration, given within-group variability along integration dimensions. Community-level

interventions should consider the diverse needs of refugees, particularly those ofwomen and older adults.More

research is needed to understand these experiences longitudinally and qualitatively.

Policy Papers & Reports

Policy Papers & Reports

Primer

Youth Participatory Action Research for Mentoring Programs

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Policy

Comprehensive Asylum-Seeking Family Reunification

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Policy

Family Well-being through the Asylum-Seeking Process

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Report

Youth Advocates for Mentoring Evaluation

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Wendy de los Reyes

University of Michigan

610 E University Ave, RM 1416

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

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