About

Jodi Ford is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on social disparities in immune function among urban adolescents, gender differences in the effects of adverse environments on physiological stress, and linking biological and social pathways to adolescent health. She has contributed to understanding adolescent to young adult development, health, and mortality through her work. Her professional contact information includes her office at 060 Townshend Hall, Ohio State University, and her email is ford.553@osu.edu.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Demography
• Environmental health
• Geography
• Sociology
• Gerontology
• Psychiatry
• Economic growth
• Mathematics
• Demographic economics
• Nursing
• Biology
• Clinical psychology
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Predictors of adolescent psychiatric rehospitalization: A multi-level framework

  International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances · 2026-01-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Adolescent psychiatric rehospitalization is a growing public health concern, with estimated readmission rates ranging from 12-38% worldwide. Despite its significant impact on youth development and long-term outcomes, limited research addresses the multifactorial determinants underlying readmission risk. The multilevel framework draws from ecological models to contextualize risk across the lifespan. Objectives: This paper aims to provide (1) an overview of the scope of psychiatric rehospitalization during adolescence and into adulthood (2) a multilevel theoretical foundation of predictors for psychiatric rehospitalization and (3) potential avenues for future research and clinical practice. Methods: Guided by a multilevel theoretical perspective, a descriptive analysis was conducted to identify potential individual, interpersonal, institutional and societal factors that may influence adolescent and future adult rehospitalization to inpatient psychiatric units. Results: Key predictors of rehospitalization include severe psychiatric diagnoses, prior hospitalizations, family dysfunction, placement in out-of-home care, and inadequate aftercare services. Biological influences such as intergenerational trauma and epigenetic changes may further predispose adolescents to poor outcomes. Life transitions during sensitive developmental periods, socioeconomic disadvantage and minority status, although understudied, also contribute to disparities in mental health outcomes and rehospitalization. Conclusions: Applying a multilevel theoretical perspective reveals that adolescent psychiatric rehospitalization is shaped by the intersection of biological, psychological, social, and structural factors. A comprehensive multilevel framework can inform future research, policy, and clinical interventions to promote long-term recovery and reduce psychiatric rehospitalization.

  PublisherDOI

• Adversity among youth experiencing homelessness: A latent class analysis

  Child Abuse & Neglect · 2026-05-07

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Cross-sectional and longitudinal influences of stress mindset on adolescent depressive symptoms and cannabis use

  Anxiety Stress & Coping · 2025-05-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A stress-is-enhancing mindset refers to viewing the nature of stress as enhancing rather than debilitating and has been linked to better mental health in response to stressors. We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal link between stress mindset and two mental health outcomes, depressive symptoms and cannabis use, over the COVID-19 pandemic in a diverse sample of adolescents. DESIGN AND METHODS: A community sample of adolescents completed measures assessing depressive symptoms, cannabis use, and intentions to use cannabis at three time points (T1: 2018-2020, N = 299, T2: 2020, N = 219, T3: 2021, N = 173). Participants completed the stress mindset measure at T2. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, a more stress-is-enhancing mindset was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and reduced intentions to use cannabis, which in turn were associated with less cannabis use. Longitudinally, a more stress-is-enhancing mindset was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and indirectly associated with less future cannabis use through behavioral intentions to use cannabis. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a stress-is-enhancing mindset as a protective factor against cannabis use and contributes to a growing literature that stress mindset is protective against depression, indicating that stress mindset may be an important protective factor even in the face of naturalistic, chronic stressors.

  PublisherDOI

• Prevalence of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences in Adolescents, 2016-2023

  JAMA Pediatrics · 2025-10-20 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  This survey study describes the prevalence of specific adverse childhood experiences and positive childhood experiences among US adolescents aged 12 to 17 years using data from the 2016-2023 National Survey of Children’s Health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The association between levels of GPS-tracked activity space violent crime and the relationship between cortisol and a biomarker of inflammation amongst Black and White adolescents

  Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025-12-11

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Resilience and Support Networks of Youth Experiencing Homelessness

  Journal of Adolescent Health · 2025-09-14

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE: Each year, almost 3.5 million young adults experience homelessness in the United States. Prior research found support networks enhance resilience and mental health in the general population of youth, but little is known about the support networks of youth experiencing homelessness (YEH). Support networks may play a moderating role in adverse outcomes for these youth. This current analysis assessed the relationship between resilience and support member characteristics among YEH. METHODS: Using baseline data from a housing intervention (N = 240) for YEH, we evaluated how support network characteristics were associated with resilience. Network characteristics included member type, contact frequency, quality of help, risk behaviors, and network size. Network differences by resilience were assessed. Ordered probit models were used to determine member characteristics associated with higher reported quality of help. RESULTS: Overall, 17% of youth (n = 239) were categorized as highly resilient, whereas 56% and 27% fell within normal or low resilience, respectively. Youth with lower resilience reported less frequent contact with parents, other family, and friends than youth with higher resilience (p < .05). Youth were predicted to be 20% less likely to report higher relief when seeking help from support members who abused alcohol compared to members who did not use alcohol (p = .001). DISCUSSION: YEH with lower resilience reported less frequent contact with support network members and lower relief after going to them for help compared to youth with higher resilience. Understanding how support relationships and resilience are interrelated will be important when working to strengthen protective factors among this population.

  PublisherDOI

• Youth experiencing homelessness at risk for suicide: psychosocial risk factors and service use patterns

  BMC Public Health · 2025-02-04

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Young adults experiencing homelessness often suffer from adverse mental health outcomes and suicide is a leading cause of death. The objective of this study is to examine service use and psychosocial risk factors for suicide, in relation to suicide risk assessment, to inform strategies for engaging youth in suicide prevention services. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of youth enrolled in a supportive housing randomized clinical trial. We categorized suicide risk into three groups (low-, moderate-, and high-risk) based on suicidal ideation and past-year suicide attempt. The service use patterns across these groups are described, as well as other psychosocial risk factors (psychiatric comorbidity, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sleep impairment). RESULTS: Among 193 enrolled youth, 126 (65.3%), 32 (16.6%), and 35 (18.1%) were categorized as low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk for suicide, respectively. A high proportion of youth reported ever having been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (57.5%) and cannabis was the most heavily used substance. However, only a minority of youth received medical care or mental health services in the past 3 months, 40% and 34%, respectively. Even fewer youth received mental/emotional health services in the past 3 months (15%), though use was highest among the high-risk group (34%). CONCLUSION: Understanding the needs of youth experiencing homelessness who are at risk for suicide is critical to developing interventions to alleviate their risk for suicide. Given that the use of medical and mental health care is low among this population, more active outreach strategies may be warranted to deliver prevention interventions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Differences in sexual behaviors between sexual minority and heterosexual female youth with a substance use disorder who are experiencing homelessness

  Children and Youth Services Review · 2025-02-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  • Female sexual minority youth (SMY) enaged in more risky sexual behaviors than their heterosexual peers. • With older age female SMY utilized condoms more compared to their heterosexual peers. • Although there were some differences in sexual risk and protective behaviors between female SMY and their peers, there were more similarities. • Provides working with female youth experiencing homelessness should provide sexual health resources regardless of sexual orientation. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in risky and protective sexual behaviors between sexual minority (SM) and heterosexual female youth with a substance use disorder (SUD) who are experiencing homelessness (YEH). This study uses baseline data from four randomized clinical trials of substance use interventions for YEH between the ages of 12–24 with a substance use disorder (N = 469). Meta-analytic methods were used to aggregate data across studies to estimate differences in sexual risk and protective behaviors. Female SM-YEH had a younger age at first sex, greater risk of lifetime casual sex, were less likely to use contraception during their first sexual encounter, and greater risk of having a STI than heterosexual YEH. Among female SM-YEH, older age was associated with greater utilization of condoms due to concerns about HIV and using condoms the last time they had sex compared to their heterosexual peers. Female SM and heterosexual YEH with a SUD had many similarities in sexual risk and protective behaviors. However, differences between female SM and heterosexual YEH were mixed regarding who was at greater risk, suggesting their unique context may play a role in understanding engagement in risky and protective sexual behavior in addition to sexual orientation.

  PublisherDOI

• A secondary analysis examining the influence of emotional support on the mental health of caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder

  Journal of Pediatric Nursing · 2024-01-21 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Associations between adolescent perceived loneliness and hair cortisol concentration

  Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024-09-16 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21DA034960

  NIH · $409k · 2015

Frequent coauthors

• Rita H. Pickler

  61 shared

• Cindy M. Anderson

  The Ohio State University

  56 shared

• P. Cristian Gugiu

  Health Outcomes Solutions (United States)

  50 shared

• Cindy L. Munro

  50 shared

• Christopher R. Browning

  The Ohio State University

  37 shared

• Jake Tarrence

  Florida State University

  29 shared

• Samantha Boch

  University of Cincinnati

  28 shared

• Darlene A. Kertes

  University of Florida

  23 shared

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy , Department of Community and Family Health

  University of South Florida, College of Public Health

  2006

• Master of Science in Nursing/Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

  University of Florida, College of Nursing

  1993

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

  University of Florida, College of Nursing

  1989