American Indians (AIs) suffer from significant health disparities related to alcohol. Early prevention is critical, because early onset is a risk factor for problematic use into adulthood, and AIs have a higher rate of early onset than do other groups. In addition, rural youths and rural youths who are a racial minority in their community […]
Rural and/or Frontier
Two Years of Relationship-Focused Mentoring for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Adolescents: Promoting Positive Mental Health
Claire Crooks, director of the Faculty of Education’s Centre for School Mental Health, led a team that implemented a mentorship program for Grade 7 and 8 Indigenous students in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB). Groups of students met once a week with an Indigenous adult mentor. Their sessions focused on acquiring skills, in […]
Reducing Mental Illness in Rural Jails
U.S. jail admissions reach 11 million annually, and the number of people in county jails is now at four times the size of the 1970 jail population. Much of this growth has been driven by small and mid-sized counties, which now make up more than 75 percent of the U.S. jail population. Jails across the […]
Telephone-Delivered Therapy for Rural Older Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Therapy provided over the phone lowered symptoms of anxiety and depression among older adults in rural areas with a lack of mental health services, a study shows. The study, by researchers at Wake Forest University, examined 141 people over the age of 60 living in rural counties in North Carolina who were experiencing excessive and […]
Suicide in Indian Country: The Continuing Epidemic in Rural Native American Communities
A review of suicide in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities found that successful suicide prevention programs used in these communities generally (1) address risk factors while “building individual self-efficacy and positive self-image,” (2) “are strength-based and culturally sensitive,” and (3) include traditional healing practices as well as cultural/spiritual development. After reviewing the literature, […]
Suicide Prevention in Rural Tribal Communities: The Intersection of Challenge and Possibility
The authors of this review article conclude that the high rate of suicide among American Indians—and especially youth—in rural areas results from a combination of the risk factors that characteristically contribute to high rates of rural suicide (e.g., social isolation, lack of access to services, and substance abuse) with the long-term consequences of historical trauma […]