The influence of social determinants of health among young adults after they have left foster care in the US

Young Adults with Lived Foster Care Experience Who Later Experience Houselessness: an Exploratory Latent Class Analysis

Young adults with lived experience in out-of-home care during childhood report later experiences of housing instability as common. Existing literature identifies a host of factors compounding an individual's risk of experiencing houselessness, but research has yet to explore constellations of characteristics which describe youth formerly in care who later become unhoused. This exploratory study leverages a public-private data linkage collaborative to integrate and de-identify child welfare data extracted from a Rocky Mountain state's administrative database and houselessness service utilization data from a regional provider in a large metro area of the state. Linkage and sampling yielded a final sample of 285 youth (ages 18 to 24) formerly in foster care who accessed houselessness services between December 2018 and March 2020 and who had signed required consents. A 22-measure latent class analysis identified three characteristic groups: intensive youth corrections involvement and emancipation from the child welfare system (32% of sample); family-based challenges, neglect, and more moderate youth corrections involvement (41% of sample); and youth behavior and substance use challenges along with family reunification before accessing houselessness services (26%). We found that young women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color were disproportionately represented in the sample compared to the state's population of youth in out-of-home care. Youth with long histories of child welfare placement were a majority of the sample. Implications are discussed. Data-sharing barriers must be addressed to facilitate further research aimed at understanding houselessness within this population.

Life is a highway: Driver's license acquisition and social determinants for youth in foster care and their non-foster care peers

BACKGROUND

Data regarding the connection between driver licensure and social determinants for youth could provide insight into the impact of driver license acquisition. These relationships are important for youth overall and particularly for foster youth given that adolescents in foster care obtain driver's licenses less often than their non-foster care peers. This integrative review explores the association between driver licensure and social determinants.

METHODS

Whittemore and Knafl guidelines were used to conduct the integrative review. The articles were identified in collaboration with an expert in library science and public health. Results were organized by the Healthy People 2030 (HP 2030) Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) model.

RESULTS

Six studies were included. Social and community context included social support structures helping youth get driver's licenses. Economics, including income and education, influenced license acquisition. Driver license acquisition was associated with improved well-being, security, and mental health.

CONCLUSION

While fewer of those living in urban, walkable neighborhoods with access to public transportation were licensed, results from other studies suggest that car access is associated with psychological well-being. Further, licensure is disproportionately lower for populations historically marginalized from equal housing, education, and employment opportunities. Licensure plays a role in well-being.

Health out of foster care as young adults age out of foster care: A phenomenological exploration of seeking healthcare services after aging out of the US foster care system

Some adolescents in the United States who have been abused and/or neglected by caregivers and placed in permanent custody of the state leave, or "age out" of foster care at 18 years of age. Poor health outcomes among individuals who age out are notable, yet few studies describe the phenomenon of seeking healthcare services after leaving foster care. The investigators specifically queried the phenomenon of seeking healthcare services after foster care drawing from the Phenomenology of Practice approach. We interviewed 13 young adults who aged out of care. Investigators extracted lived experience descriptions (LEDs) from interview transcripts and analyzed under phenomenological themes. Healthcare experiences were marked by avoiding self-disclosure, having no choice but to wait, missing family history, and relying on the kindness of strangers. Healthcare providers who integrate the findings into care delivery models will engage young adults with more understanding and sensitivities of ethical practice.