Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6274-318X
Abstract
America’s mental health crisis uniquely impacts rural areas. Challenges surrounding intention and accessibility to engage in mental health-fostering behaviors exacerbate disparities in rural mental healthcare. In this study, Cooperative Extension personnel assess rural Mississippians’ intention to engage in mental health-fostering behaviors, accessibility to mental health-fostering behaviors, and helpfulness of increased access to resources for mental health challenges to determine if relationships exist between these variables. Rural Mississippi adults were recruited via an online survey panel to complete a 147-item web-based questionnaire (n = 274). Findings suggest rural adults’ intention to engage in mental health-fostering behaviors favored connecting with family and friends, followed by spirituality, faith, or religion, then talking to a therapist or counselor. Discrepancies are evident regarding the intention to talk to a therapist or counselor compared to connecting with family and friends and engaging in spirituality, faith, or religion. There is also a gap regarding accessibility to mental health-fostering behaviors. These findings highlight the potential of increasing accessibility to mental health-fostering behaviors. Community-specific approaches, such as partnerships between state agencies and key community resources such as Cooperative Extension and faith-based organizations, may educate community members on mental health-fostering behaviors and promote rural adults’ intention and accessibility to foster mental health.
Recommended Citation
Waller, M. M.,
Robertson, M. N.,
Seitz, H. H.,
Nadorff, M. R.,
&
Buys, D. R.
(2025). Rural Mental Health Challenges: Addressing Community-Specific Needs of Rural Mississippians.
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 13(3), 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1518
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