Views of mental health among younger rural residents are similar to urban counterparts; both are more accepting

Photo by Nathan Dumlao, Unsplashed

Studies have found that rural populations place more stigma on mental health and its care than their urban counterparts, but those attitudes seem to be changing with younger generations, reports Liz Carey of The Daily Yonder: "New research from the Rural Health Equity Research Centers at East Tennessee State University finds that rural residents are less likely to have negative attitudes toward those with mental health illnesses than previously thought. Prior studies had found that there was more of a stigma around mental illness in rural communities. Younger people in rural communities are becoming more open and accepting of mental health diagnosis and treatment," 

According to researchers Kate Beatty and Michel Meit, "Previous studies found that perceived prejudice against rural residents with mental health concerns not only reduced treatment but that rural residents felt that treatment wouldn’t work," Carey writes.

When Betty and Meit interviewed more than 2,000 rural and urban residents, the responses were revealing: "Rural respondents did not differ significantly from urban respondents when it came to negative stereotypes toward mental illness," Carey writes. “Once you control for age and race, there’s no more stigma about mental illness” in rural communities than in urban ones, Meit told Carey. "The study found that rural residents between the ages of 18 and 29 had the lowest scores on negative stereotypes, while respondents 60 and older had the highest," Carey reports.

The study suggests that the national conversation about the importance of mental-health care is reaching rural Americans through outreach and even pop culture, Carey writes: "Recently, celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Selena Gomez, and Michael Phelps have spoken out about their struggles with mental health. These cultural touchstones for younger populations – both rural and urban — may be changing the way people view mental illness."

“One powerful destigmatizing strategy is awareness,” Beatty told Carey. “The more people talk about and normalize mental illness the less stigmatized folks will be.”