Social Determinants

How Environment Shapes Girls' Well-being

Based on the 2025 Indiana Girl Report, including interviews with 91 girls across Indiana and perspectives from 130 caregivers and youth professionals.

Why This Matters

While the Indiana Girl Report addresses all girls, creating conditions where girls thrive requires understanding how poverty, inequalitya, discrimination, and other social factors create different starting points and ongoing barriers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines Social Determinants of Health as “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes.” For girls already experiencing higher rates of violence, social disconnection, or mental health challenges, these conditions can act as either additional stressors or protective buffers.

"I don't worry about the girls that are connected to the youth-serving organizations. I worry about the girls that aren't." — Mental Health Professional, Southern Indiana

The Cumulative Effect

Cumulative disadvantage theory shows that early-life challenges like poverty and trauma restrict access to protective resources. These setbacks compound over time, creating widening disparities in health, education, and economic outcomes (Nurius et al., 2015). Addressing these disparities requires early, sustained, and multi-layered interventions that interrupt the cycle of disadvantage and create equitable opportunities for recovery and progress.

For more information, see the full 2025 Indiana Girl Report.

Resoures and Support

23 Indiana counties rank in the highest vulnerability category, requiring concentrated support (Indiana Youth Institute, 2025). Priority counties include Lake, Marion, Vigo, Vanderburgh, and Allen counties.

Find Local Resources

Indiana 211 – comprehensive database of community resources

Social Vulnerability Data

CDC Social Vulnerability Index Interactive Map 

High-Priority Resource Needs:
Mental health providers accepting Medicaid
Free/sliding scale therapy options
Transportation for healthcare access
After-school and summer programming with sliding scale fees
Food security resources
Educational support programs

About the Social
Vulnerability Index

Social vulnerability describes how certain community conditions—like poverty, limited transportation options, and overcrowded living situations—make it harder for people to cope when their community faces challenges. These challenges might include natural disasters like floods or tornadoes, human-caused emergencies like industrial accidents, or public health crises like disease outbreaks. Communities with higher social vulnerability have fewer resources and supports to help residents weather these difficulties and recover afterward.