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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Social connectedness

The Impact of Geographic Isolation on Mental Disability in the United States
Examines the association between geographic isolation and mental disability using the 2000 decennial census and supplementary county-level data from other sources. Analyzes factors including social isolation, socioeconomic status, and income inequality. Discusses theoretical explanations for the relationship between isolation and mental disability, and summarizes other factors which were not modeled in the study but which may be associated with poor mental health outcomes in rural areas.
Author(s): Christopher G. Hudson, Nathan J. Doogan
Citation: SSM - Population Health, 8, 100437
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
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Supportive Services and Caregiving for Older Rural Adults: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of current supportive services and caregiving policies for rural older adults, in terms of availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services. Explores topics including long-term services and supports, telehealth, care coordination, transportation, stigma, and unpaid caregivers, and describes federal programs for older adults. Offers policy recommendations and considerations.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Psychosocial Supports in Medication-Assisted Treatment: Site Visit Findings and Conclusions
Profiles 5 programs that offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), including several with rural components. Covers psychosocial support offered, staffing and staff training, collaboration and coordination, financing, data collection and quality improvement, lessons learned, and next steps for each program. Discusses the aspects of psychosocial support that are most important for positive outcomes, types of psychosocial support being used, and factors helping or impeding psychosocial support implementation, including stigma and workforce challenges. Appendix B reviews the literature on psychosocial support in MAT.
Additional links: Appendix B: Psychosocial Supports in Medication-Assisted Treatment: Recent Evidence and Current Practice
Author(s): Garrett Moran, Hannah Knudsen, Caroline Snyder
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The Rural-ness of Social Isolation: Information from Recent Public Health Research
Dr. Carrie Henning-Smith, deputy director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, explains how social isolation and loneliness impact rural Americans, based on information from her team's recent studies.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Social Isolation and Loneliness: Insights from Rural Clinical Providers and Other Experts
Provides an overview of social isolation and loneliness and the factors, such as limited transportation options, that can contribute to these problems in rural areas. Includes discussion of social risk assessments. Features rural clinicians, researchers, and other experts sharing their perspectives on addressing these concerns.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Behavioral and Clinical Characteristics of American Indian/Alaska Native Adults in HIV Care — Medical Monitoring Project, United States, 2011–2015
Reports on sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients in HIV care. Includes information on stigma, healthcare discrimination, social supports, depression, substance use, sex without a condom, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and viral suppression.
Author(s): Amy R. Baugher, Linda Beer, Heather M. Bradley, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(5152), 1405-1409
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Aging in Appalachia
Episodes of the radio program "Inside Appalachia," exploring challenges faced by elderly people in Appalachia, and the resources available to them. Topics include caregiver shortages, Alzheimer's disease, dying with dignity, and isolation and loneliness.
Date: 2019
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Key Informant Perspectives on Rural Social Isolation and Loneliness
Describes challenges and opportunities related to health impacts of social isolation in rural areas, using data from interviews with 22 experts from 11 states and the District of Columbia. Addresses gaps in the literature on rural-urban differences in social isolation and offers suggestions for policy changes and programmatic interventions.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Alexandra Ecklund, Megan Lahr, et al.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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The Role of Social Support and the Neighborhood Environment on Physical Activity in Low-income, Mexican-American Women in South Texas
Presents a study on the effectiveness of a promotora-led intervention aimed at improving the rates of physical activity among low-income Mexican-American women in rural South Texas.
Author(s): Jennifer J. Salinas, Marisol McDaniel, Deborah Parra-Medina
Citation: Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 51(5), 234-241
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
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Intergenerational Continuity in Adverse Childhood Experiences and Rural Community Environments
Reports on a study of two-parent families with children in rural Iowa to determine the effect of community environment on intergenerational continuity in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Measures of community environment including socioeconomic status, social cohesion, perception of community services, and alcohol vendor density were correlated with ACEs to analyze their significance in helping families break the cycle and reduce or prevent childhood adversity.
Author(s): Thomas J. Schofield, M. Brent Donnellan, Melissa T. Merrick, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(9), 1148–1152
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
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