Background/Objectives: Youth in foster care are highly vulnerable to psychiatric medication overuse and polypharmacy, particularly concerning the racial disparities affecting antipsychotic prescriptions. This study investigates the racial patterns in antipsychotic prescribing to African American versus European American foster youth at a single mental health institution in Southern Nevada, identifying key disparities in treatment. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1,507 foster youth patients aged 3-19 years who attended an outpatient behavioral health clinic from 2013 to 2020. Demographic data were collected, and chi-square analyses were applied to evaluate the association between socially defined race and antipsychotic prescriptions. Results: Of the total clinic patients, 105 received atypical antipsychotic prescriptions, with African American youth overrepresented in this group compared to the clinic's general foster population (X2 (3, N = 105) = 1,672.9, p < .01). European American and other races were underrepresented. Conclusions: The data highlight racial disparities in prescribing practices, with African American foster youth significantly more likely to receive atypical antipsychotic medications. Addressing provider and caregiver biases may mitigate these disparities, emphasizing the need for culturally competent clinical care.

Volunteering among older adults in the United States is rising, with rates up by 65% since 1974. With this tremendous growth in volunteering among seniors, examining how it affects them is essential. One such volunteering program we look at in this research is the Foster Grandparents Program (FGP) of the High Country, which allows older adults to volunteer at local schools to help in-need children. Previous research has shown how volunteering as an older adult positively impacts people's quality of life. This paper will explore the quality-of-life changes for the FGP older adult volunteers, explicitly comparing the quality-of-life changes with demographics and program satisfaction. This study looked at 93 participants of the FGP and their survey responses. We used cross-tabulation and correlation to look for relationships between demographics, satisfaction with volunteer experience, and overall changes in the quality-of-life of volunteers. Age, gender, and years of service were not good predictors of quality-of-life changes. On the other hand, overall satisfaction with the program proved to be the best predictor for change in quality of life. When satisfaction with positive program experiences is high, volunteers are more likely to have less symptoms of depression, state they have a greater sense of belonging to a community and were able to build a positive identity for themselves, all of which impacted their overall quality-of-life.