@article{ref1,
title="Providers' perceptions of prevalent mental and behavioral health problems: differences and similarities across urban, rural, and frontier areas",
journal="Journal of rural mental health",
year="2014",
author="McDonald, Theodore W. and Curtis-Schaeffer, Amy K. and Theiler, Alexander A. and Howard, AlisaK. M.",
volume="38",
number="1",
pages="36-49",
abstract="Most research exploring possible differences in the prevalence of mental and behavioral health¹ (MBH) problems between urban and rural areas has indicated that there are no differences. Unfortunately, most of this research has measured urbanness-ruralness as a 2-level or dichotomous construct only (i.e., an area is either urban or rural), and researchers have used inconsistent (and sometimes conflicting) definitions for what constitutes an &quot;urban&quot; or &quot;rural&quot; area. In this study, urbanness-ruralness is conceptualized as an expanded categorical construct with the addition of a 3rd point: The frontier area. Surveys were completed by 259 MBH professionals across the urban, rural, and frontier counties of a U.S. state in the intermountain west. Survey items asked about a number of issues related to MBH, including what the professionals perceived to be the most-prevalent MBH problems in their areas. Anxiety was perceived to be a significantly more prevalent problem in urban areas, and substance abuse and domestic violence were perceived to be significantly more prevalent problems in frontier areas. These results suggest that when urbanness-ruralness is conceptualized as an expanded categorical construct (rather than simply a dichotomous one), differences in the perceived prevalence of MBH problems may be found.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1935-942X",
doi="10.1037/rmh0000009",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000009"
}