An APA Report: Executive Summary of The Behavioral Health Care Needs of Rural Women1www.apa.org/rural/ruralwomen.pdf Executive Summary Of The Behavioral Health Care Needs of Rural Women The Report Of The Rural Women’s Work Group and the Committee on Rural HealthOf the American Psychological AssociationFull Report at http://www.apa.org/rural/ruralwomen.pdfThirty percent of American women are live in rural regions, but attention to their unique behavioral health concerns has been largely unaddressed by the professional literature. While not homogenous in terms of geography, economic base, demographics, or development, rural women share some common experiences. These include low population density; geographical distance from large metropolitan areas; isolation; geographic barriers; dense social networks; a culture of self-sufficiency, traditional values, patriarchal social structures; a lack of transportation and communications; and fewer economic and work force resources.ü 1 in 3 women in the US are rural women.ü In 1996, rural poverty was 15.9% compared to 13.2% urban; the gap is widening.ü 60% of rural areas are designated mental health professions shortage areas.ü Only 76% of rural women 25 years or older have a high school diploma.ü 12% or rural women have a 4-year college degree compared with 22% of urban women.ü In 1993, rural women earned $8.73 an hour compared to $11.25 for urban women.ü In rural areas, 16% of families, 10.5% married couples, 42.6% of mother-only and 56.9% of families with children are below the poverty line. Women head 46% of rural households, 27% of which are in poverty compared with 9% of men-headed households.ü 41% of rural women, compared to 13-20% in urban areas, are depressed or anxious.ü More rural women work a "third shift;" a paid job, farm work, and household duties.ü Rural women suffer more chronic illnesses than do their urban counterparts.ü Rural women have poorer maternal health than do their urban counterparts.ü The rate of increase in AIDS is higher in rural areas than in urban areas.ü Suicide rates, particularly in the rural west, are as much as three times the urban rates.ü Elderly women make up 15% of rural the population, compared with 11% in urban areas.ü Rural elderly women have considerably lower incomes than their urban counterparts.ü Rural teens have a 30 to 40% higher pregnancy rate than their urban counterparts.ü Rural women with disabilities have more difficulty obtaining services.ü Rural lesbians have more social stigma than their urban counterparts.ü Barriers to treatment include lack of access to care, lack of awareness of services, lack of services, overall higher cost than urban care, and cultural barriers.This report documents the impact of rural life on the behavioral health of women, providing a comprehensive review of the current literature covering a broad array of interrelated behavioral health care needs and concluding with a discussion of the most pressing priorities for future research, policy
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