Although research has found high rates of child maltreatment, widespread victimization, and other negative outcomes among homeless youth and young adults, resiliency among this population has largely been understudied. Specifically, a gap remains in terms of how protective factors such as self-efficacy, low deviant beliefs, and religiosity operate among homeless youth and young adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between various forms of victimization, mental health, and protective factors with property and violent crime and illicit drug use among homeless young adults. Results from regression analyses indicate that running away from home more frequently, experiencing more physical victimization on the street, higher levels of self-efficacy, and more deviant beliefs were associated with greater property crime. Significant correlates of violent crime included being male, running away from home more frequently, greater sexual and physical victimization on the street, higher levels of self-efficacy, and more deviant beliefs. Finally, being male, running away more frequently from home, greater child physical abuse and partner victimization, and more deviant beliefs were all associated with greater illicit drug use. Self-efficacy was positively related to both property and violent crime, suggesting that it may not operate for homeless young adults in the same manner as it does for normative populations.

Sexual minorities are receiving an increasing amount of attention within sociological research on families. However, much of the existing work on these families has been limited to largely White, middle-class, and highly educated individuals. Using national data from the Social Justice Sexuality Project, this study fills a much-needed gap by exploring predictors of family support and the relationship between family support and well-being among Black and Latina/o sexual minorities. We find that sexual identity, how out one is to one's family, and relationship status predict levels of family support. In addition, we find that among Black and Latina/o individuals, family support is an important factor influencing health and well-being. Other social statuses such as gender identity, sexual identity, and relationship status are associated with happiness and self-rated health as well. Our work suggests that sexual minorities of color have unique family dynamics that should be studied from an intersectional perspective. Further investigation into the family dynamics of sexual minorities of color should pay particular attention to individuals' positionality within systems of gender, racial, and sexual identity disadvantage to help understand their health and well-being.

Science trust and views of science differ by political and religious orientations. In this study we examine whether political and religious perspectives are also associated with biological science knowledge, science interest, and general science identity. Results show that conservative Protestants have lower biological science knowledge than other religious groups on several specific topics. Party affiliation is associated with vaccine knowledge but not science interest and identity. Adjusting for demographic characteristics explains some political and religious group differences, but not all. We discuss implications regarding attention to potential political and religious framings of science topics in public education efforts.

Purpose: Access to health care supports both individual and population health. Ample research demonstrates access barriers faced by rural residents and people with disabilities; however, less research has examined access barriers for rural residents by disability status or explored differences across multiple types of access barriers. This brief report addresses this gap by examining 11 financial and nonfinancial barriers to accessing health care among rural adults by disability status. Methods: Using nationally representative data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey and focusing on rural adults (n = 4,703), we conducted bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses comparing 11 separate access barriers by disability status and generated adjusted predicted probabilities of experiencing these barriers, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Findings: Overall, compared to those without disabilities, rural people with disabilities had significantly higher adjusted predicted probabilities of 8 of the 11 access barriers. These include delaying multiple types of care due to cost, not being able to afford prescriptions, and delaying care due to facility hours, insurance acceptance, transportation, and travel time. Rural people with disabilities were, however, more likely than their nondisabled counterparts to report having a usual place for care. Conclusions: Rural individuals with disabilities face more barriers to care than their peers without disabilities, including delaying care, which can potentially worsen health outcomes. Our findings provide important information for policymakers to improve access to care at the intersection of rurality and disability.

Match or mismatch between the demands of work, home, and the broader community shape individuals’ well-being, leading to some recognition of mismatch as a public health issue. Using a life-course framework, I draw on farm families as an illustrative case to explore how couple work arrangements influence individual well-being. Farm couples face many demands within a family-based business, including various work and family roles in a changing farming economy. Using survey data from women on family farms in the U.S., I explore the association between perceiving incongruence in actual and desired couple work arrangements and women’s mental health. Results indicate that women who perceive any type of work incongruence (their own, their partner’s, or both) do report worse mental health. Specifically, women’s own individual work mismatch is significantly associated with increases in depressive symptoms while shared incongruence or partner-only incongruence is not. In addition, feeling control over one’s life and being satisfied with the viability of farming for a livable family income are important pathways in understanding how incongruence is associated with mental health. Broadly, I highlight that being the only member of a couple working an undesired role may be particularly harmful for women’s well-being.