Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the non-medical conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and grow older. These factors dictate a vast majority of overall well-being and life expectancy, often outweighing genetics or direct medical care.
Viewing their experience through a "social determinants of health" lens can help individuals, communities, populations, and governments better understand the many factors that influence their health and well-being.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. These experiences—such as abuse, neglect, and household instability—disrupt a child’s sense of safety and stability, and can lead to lifelong health, behavioral, and economic challenges.
When it comes to foster youth and alumni:
- What is the real intention of ACES?
- How could the system better support physical and emotional safety?
- How could the system better help youth develop coping mechanisms and heal from trauma?
- How could the system better listen to youth concerns, including rights violations?
Foster care youth and alumni are at risk of overmedication. For example, trauma in young children can lead to be behavior that looks like ADHD. The multiple systems that serve foster youth can do more to equip and empower them when it comes to:
- Developmental Assets
- Developmental Relationships
- Alternatives to “talk therapy”
When it comes to education access and quality, resources have increased from when I "aged out" foster care. But college costs and other challenges have increased as well. Areas for improvement include:
- K-12 and Post-Secondary Supports
- Value of Cross-Systems Coordination
Foster youth aren't widgets on an assembly line. The environments we come from before entering foster care, the environments we are entrusted to during our time in care, and the level of care, thought and intention that is given to where we end up living afterwards -- each has an impact on us. This includes:
- Economic Stability: Before, during and after foster care
- Improved Transitions: Providing resources to support youth after they leave foster care to improve economic stability
A Harvard-Casey study demonstrated that foster care youth experience PTSD at a higher rate than Vietnam war veterans. Our rate of PTSD was five times higher than the general population. This points to:
- The need for trauma-informed care
- The importance of equipping and empowering young people to handle PTSD after foster care, by providing them with tools and helping them build coping skills.
