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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Mental Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Mental Health.

QuickStats: Percentage of Children and Adolescents Aged 4–17 Years with Serious Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties, by Sex and Urbanization Level — National Health Interview Survey, 2016–2018
Bar chart comparing metropolitan and nonmetro rates of serious emotional and behavioral difficulties among children and adolescents aged 4-17 overall, for boys, and for girls.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 69(10), 276
Date: 03/2020
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Recruiting and Retaining Behavioral Health Workers in Rural America: A Toolkit for Action
Explores successful tactics and programs, and elements missing from many current efforts to recruit and retain behavioral health workers. Describes funding opportunities, pipeline programs, telehealth initiatives, innovative approaches to recruitment and retention, and legislative changes in 2019 that helped promote recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Nancy Baum, Jaque King
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Health and Research Transformation, University of Michigan Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
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Predictors of Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Treatment Use Among Rural Adults using Stimulants over Three Years
Details a study on the factors that predict mental health and substance use treatment utilization among rural stimulant users. Breaks down data from 2002 to 2008 by race, age, and substance use, among other measures.
Author(s): Michael A. Cucciare, Songthip T. Ounpraseuth, Geoffrey M. Curran, Brenda M. Booth
Citation: Substance Abuse, 40(3), 363-370
Date: 02/2020
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Supporting the Mental Health Well-being of High School Students
Report evaluates the perceived need for school-based mental health services and the levels of access to those services by rural students and students of color. Bases results on surveys of high school students and makes corresponding recommendations. Compares the access to mental health services in rural, urban, and suburban schools.
Additional links: Infographic
Author(s): Michelle Croft, Shannon Hayes, Raeal Moore
Date: 01/2020
Sponsoring organization: ACT Center for Equity in Learning
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Associations Between Stopping Prescriptions for Opioids, Length of Opioid Treatment, and Overdose or Suicide Deaths in US Veterans: Observational Evaluation
Highlights a study on the correlation between halting treatment for opioid use disorder, length of treatment, and death from overdose or suicide among Veterans Health Administration patients. Breaks down data by age, sex, and rural status among other factors.
Author(s): Elizabeth M Oliva, Thomas Bowe, Ajay Manhapra, et al.
Citation: BMJ, 2020: m283
Date: 2020
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Caring for People with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care Settings
Report explores how primary care providers can best provide mental health and substance use disorder services to their patients. Discusses the barriers to behavioral healthcare in rural areas such as insurance coverage, workforce shortages, and lack of transportation, among others, and highlights the role primary care providers can play in overcoming those barriers.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Issue Brief: Integrated Behavioral Health is High-value Care
Highlights the advantages of behavioral health integration. Addresses costs and healthcare outcomes and presents several models for integration in healthcare settings.
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Behavioral Health in Rural America: Challenges and Opportunities
Examines the prevalence of behavioral health disorders in rural populations with an emphasis on high-risk populations. Discusses access to behavioral health services in rural areas, and the barriers associated with the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Highlights programs and policy strategies known to demonstrate improvements in behavioral health systems, and offers policy recommendations for change supporting improved outcomes in rural populations.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): John Gale, Jaclyn Janis, Andrew Coburn, Hanna Rochford
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Partial Psychiatric Hospitalization Program Availability in Non-Metropolitan and Metropolitan Hospitals Nationally
Describes the purpose of partial psychiatric hospitalization programs (PPHPs), and compares 2016 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey of Hospitals data on the availability and the characteristics of PPHPs among non-metropolitan and metropolitan hospitals in the U.S.
Author(s): Timothy Williams, Tyrone F. Borders, Lindsey Jasinski
Date: 12/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Self-Identified Barriers to Rural Mental Health Services in Iowa by Older Adults with Multiple Comorbidities: Qualitative Interview Study
Highlights a study on the perceived barriers to mental healthcare for chronically ill elders in rural Iowa. Bases finding on phone interviews with participants where they detailed their experiences accessing mental healthcare. Breaks down data by age, sex, and mental health diagnosis, among other factors.
Author(s): Lauren Elizabeth Pass, Korey Kennelty, Barry L Carter
Citation: BMJ Open, 9(11), e029976
Date: 11/2019
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Last Updated: 6/3/2025