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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Published in:

01-05-2007 | Original Paper

Rurality and Mental Health Treatment

Authors: Emily J. Hauenstein, Stephen Petterson, Virginia Rovnyak, Elizabeth Merwin, Barbara Heise, Douglas Wagner

Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research | Issue 3/2007

Abstract

Diversity within rural areas renders rural–urban comparisons difficult. The association of mental health treatment rates with levels of rurality is investigated here using Rural–Urban Continuum Codes. Data from the 1996–1999 panels of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey are aggregated to provide annual treatment rates for respondents reporting mental health problems. Data show that residents of the most rural areas receive less mental health treatment than those residing in metropolitan areas. The adjusted odds of receiving any mental health treatment are 47% higher for metropolitan residents than for those living in the most rural settings, and the adjusted odds for receiving specialized mental health treatment are 72% higher. Findings suggest rural community size and adjacency to metropolitan areas influence treatment rates.

The reference period following the fourth interview ends on Dec. 31 of a respondent’s 2-calendar-year observation period in the MEPS. For most respondents, this period is less than 4 months long.

We restrict our observation period to the first three rounds because provider event histories only cover a 2- year period. Thus, it is not possible to obtain a complete 4 months of data for most respondents after the fourth and fifth interviews.

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Title: Rurality and Mental Health Treatment
Authors: Emily J. Hauenstein
Stephen Petterson
Virginia Rovnyak
Elizabeth Merwin
Barbara Heise
Douglas Wagner
Publication date: 01-05-2007
Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research / Issue 3/2007
Print ISSN: 0894-587X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3289
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-006-0105-8

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