Access to Mental Health Services and Family Impact of Rural Children with Mental Health Problems. Maine Rural Health Research Center, Working Paper No. 45

摘要

The majority of children with mental health problems go untreated, and the gap between need and service use is assumed to be wider in rural than in urban areas. It is also assumed that rural families of children with mental health problems experience a greater financial and emotional impact than urban families. These assumptions reflect the lower availability of mental health specialty care and support services in rural areas. Lower income and more limited economic opportunities may further hamper the ability of rural families to care for children with more severe mental health problems. The current research literature does not describe how well the needs of children with mental health problems are being met in rural areas, or the impact of these needs on rural families financial and emotional well-being. Although there are reasons to believe the burden these problems place on families is higher in rural areas, evidence is limited.