Reproductive coercion (RC) is defined as behaviors that diminish individuals’ ability to make decisions regarding their reproductive health RC increases the risk of sexually transmitted illnesses, anxiety, depression, substance-use, post-traumatic stress disorder, and intimate partner violence. Despite the serious risks, RC remains understudied and is not typically assessed as a form of sexual violence. Although research has demonstrated the relevance of existential concerns to the experiences of reproductive roles and sexual violence, the existential impact of RC has not been empirically studied. The present study includes a sample of 637 young adults across two states. Almost half of participants reported a prior experience of sexual violence (41.8%) and 13.3% reported an experience of RC (prevalence of specific forms are presented) Reproductive coercion was strongly associated with other experiences of sexual violence (95% of those reporting experiences of RC also reported sexual violence). Those who endorsed experiences of RC reported significantly higher scores on the Existential Concerns Questionnaire (t=-2.57, p=.005) than those with no reported history. The study findings support the conceptualization of reproductive coercion as a form of sexual violence and existential trauma.

Objectification Theory (OT) states that women’s humanity is reduced to being an object whose sole purpose is to give men physical pleasure. OT explains why men objectify women and why women objectify themselves but does not explain why women objectify other women. Research has found that participants primed to experience high- or low-power objectified others in a work relationship more than those primed to experience equal-power. The current study aimed to examine if this finding would replicate to women engaging in sexual and beauty objectification and dehumanization towards other women. 330 cisgender, heterosexual college women were primed to experience high-, equal-, or low-power via a writing prompt. After being primed to a power condition, participants filled out measures of sexual objectification, beauty objectification, dehumanization, sense of power, and desire for power. A multivariate analysis of covariance was used to determine if beauty objectification, sexual objectification, or dehumanization varied by power condition. No significant differences were detected. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to examine if a continuous sense of power variable could predict women’s beauty objectification, sexual objectification, or dehumanization of others. Results indicated that sense of power is related to objectification and dehumanization, but their relationships with sense of power differ. Sexual objectification has a curvilinear relationship with sense of power, dehumanization has a linear positive association with sense of power, and beauty objectification has no relationship with sense of power. This research underscores how risk factors for dehumanization, broadly, may change drastically depending on the type of dehumanization occurring. If we understand what levels of power lead to the greatest objectification and dehumanization, we can identify who to target when creating prevention methods for objectification and dehumanization. Potentially reducing the risk for depression, disordered eating, anxiety, and trauma that is known to correlate with experiencing dehumanization.

This study investigates the relationship between ambient air quality and asthma-related health outcomes in California, focusing on emergency department visits and hospitalizations from 2005 to 2022. Despite California’s strict air quality regulations, many urban and rural communities still face significant pollution challenges that contribute to poor respiratory health, particularly among vulnerable populations. Using panel data from specific counties, this research examines the effects of key pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on asthma outcomes. A fixed effects regression model is employed to control for unobserved heterogeneity and time-specific shocks ensuring robust estimates of the impact of pollution on health outcomes. The dependent variables that will be used for this study are asthma emergency department visits and asthma hospitalization cases and the independent variables will be the different pollutants under study namely CO, NO2, and PM2.5. Unlike previous studies that primarily focus on urban areas, this research integrates both urban and rural regions addressing a gap in the literature. Additionally, by aggregating daily pollution data into annual county-level data, this study introduces a novel approach to long-term environmental health analysis by assessing the efficacy of aggregated data in long-term analyses and offering insights into the management of large-scale datasets. Existing literature highlights that economically disadvantaged groups and children disproportionately suffer from pollution-related illnesses, further emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. The findings of this study will provide evidence on the impacts of ambient air quality on asthma levels in California.

Abstract

Water scarcity is an increasingly pressing issue in Montana's Bitterroot Valley due to the dual pressures of climate change and rapid population growth. This research explores how agricultural producers in the region experience and adapt to water scarcity, a challenge exacerbated by decreasing and unpredictable precipitation patterns and rising residential water demand. Using semi-structured, long-form interviews with experienced farmers, the study examines the specific impacts of water scarcity on agricultural operations and the adaptive strategies employed to ensure resilience. By centering the experiences of local producers, this research aims to contribute to the broader literature on agricultural adaptation while offering practical knowledge for farmers and policymakers navigating water scarcity in semi-arid regions.

As climate change intensifies, United States Department of Agriculture emergency programs provide crucial relief during crises. Yet, programs like the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) are now being triggered each year as droughts become routine in the western US. Simultaneously, the most climate vulnerable farmers are largely left out of these programs. We examine how institutional structures, program design, and implementation practices shape access to public agricultural support services in the western US, with particular focus on beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers (BSDFs). Drawing from nearly 50 in-depth interviews with USDA staff and farmers across western states, our two papers work to illuminate interconnected challenges. The first paper focuses on LFP's transformation from emergency relief to routine payout in drought-stricken western states to reveal how climate change is outpacing policy adaptation while potentially reducing incentives for long-term adaptation. In addition, it highlights the challenges that ranchers, who primarily ranch on leased land, face in obtaining documentation from absentee landlords, posing a significant barrier for relief access. Simultaneously, FSA program outreach primarily targets producers with long-term ties to the USDA, leaving many BDSFs out of disaster payments they qualify for. The second paper focuses on western Montana, where BSDFs represent a significant and growing portion of the farming population; these farmers face substantial barriers to accessing USDA programs, instead relying heavily on informal community networks and local non-profits for support. As a result, many BSDFs frame access to both land and federal farm support as the product of "luck," rather than the structural (in)effectiveness of federal farm support programs. Together, these papers demonstrate how USDA's institutional structures and program implementation practices may perpetuate historical inequities in agricultural support services just as climate change threatens to exacerbate those same disparities.

Fire suppression, climate change, and increasing human presence in wildland-urban interfaces challenge land managers in implementing prescribed fire. This study examines the temporal and spatial dimensions of prescribed fire decision-making, current information sources, and gaps in knowledge. Limited understanding exists regarding the specific information needs of wildfire managers to determine timing and location. Decision-making insights can inform risk reduction and fire mitigation strategies, including when and where to burn and its impact on human well-being. We will conduct qualitative, semi-structured interviews with prescribed fire decision-makers in Western Montana, using a chain referral sampling approach to reach at least 30 participants. Data analysis will involve open coding in NVivo, thematic identification, and triangulation for validation. Findings will be shared with participants for further refinement. Preliminary results indicate fire managers are frustrated with the prescribed burn process, citing poor public communication, unmet burn goals, staffing shortages, and increasing liability concerns. Overall, our research highlights the need for improved decision-making processes, enhanced communication about prescribed fire, and better recruitment strategies for qualified staff.