This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Correction  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Rural/Urban Comparison

Dan Blazer, MD, PhD; Linda K. George, PhD; Richard Landerman, PhD; Margaret Pennybacker, PhD; Mary Lou Melville, MD; Max Woodbury, PhD, MPH; Kenneth G. Manton, PhD; Kathleen Jordan, MA

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1985;42(7):651-656.

Abstract
• We studied rural/urban differences in the prevalence of nine psychiatric disorders from a community survey (part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program) of 3,921 adults living in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Crude comparisons disclosed that major depressive episodes and drug abuse and/ or dependence were more common in the urban area, whereas alcohol abuse/dependence was more common in the rural area. When prevalence for these disorders was stratified for age, sex, race, and education (factors that may confound urban/rural comparisons), a number of significant differences were identified, such as higher prevalence of major depression in female and white subjects and higher prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence in the less educated subjects. A logisticregression analysis was used to determine if significant urban/ rural differences persisted when these potential confounders were controlled. Major depressive disorders were found to be twice as frequent in the urban area in this controlled analysis.

Author Affiliations
Ben Locke, MPH

From the Departments of Psychiatry (Drs Blazer, George, Landerman, Pennybacker, and Melville, and Ms Jordan) and Community and Family Medicine (Drs Woodbury and Manton), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; and the Division of Biometry and Epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, Md (Mr Locke).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Rural mental health
Nicholson
Adv. Psychiatr. Treat. 2008;14:302-311.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Impact of Perceived Need for Treatment on Risk of Arrest and Violence Among People With Severe Mental Illness
Elbogen et al.
Criminal Justice and Behavior 2007;34:197-210.
ABSTRACT  

Treatment engagement and violence risk in mental disorders
ELBOGEN et al.
Br. J. Psychiatry 2006;189:354-360.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

SIGNIFICANT PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND CONTACTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
McVeigh and Wunsch-Hitzig
AJPH 2006;96:954-954.
FULL TEXT  

Rural/non-rural differences in rates of common mental disorders in Britain: Prospective multilevel cohort study
WEICH et al.
Br. J. Psychiatry 2006;188:51-57.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Social Distribution of Psychological Distress and Depression in Older Adults
Cairney and Krause
J Aging Health 2005;17:807-835.
ABSTRACT  

Absence of spatial variation in rates of the common mental disorders
Weich
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2005;59:254-257.
FULL TEXT  

Screening for Bipolar Disorder in a Primary Care Practice
Das et al.
JAMA 2005;293:956-963.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Contextual risk factors for the common mental disorders in Britain: a multilevel investigation of the effects of place
Weich et al.
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2003;57:616-621.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Psychiatric Disorder, Impairment, and Service Use in Rural African American and White Youth
Angold et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002;59:893-901.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Poverty, Race/Ethnicity, and Psychiatric Disorder: A Study of Rural Children
Costello et al.
AJPH 2001;91:1494-1498.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Norwegian Psychiatric Epidemiological Study
Kringlen et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2001;158:1091-1098.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Emergency Department Use Among Inner-city Children With Asthma
Bartlett et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155:347-353.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Asthma Morbidity in Inner-City Children With Asthma
Weil et al.
Pediatrics 1999;104:1274-1280.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

HIV Risk Factors Among People With Severe Mental Illness in Urban and Rural Areas
Brunette et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 1999;50:556-558.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Depressive Symptoms and Cigarette Smoking among Native Hawaiians
Kaholokula et al.
Asia Pac J Public Health 1999;11:60-64.
ABSTRACT  

Anxiety Disorders Among African-American and White Primary Medical Care Patients
Brown et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 1999;50:407-409.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Depressive Symptoms in Inner-city Mothers of Young Children: Who Is at Risk?
Heneghan et al.
Pediatrics 1998;102:1394-1400.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Urbanisation and Psychiatric Admission Rates in the Netherlands
Dekker et al.
Int J Soc Psychiatry 1997;43:235-246.
ABSTRACT  

Mental Disorders and Disability Among Patients in a Primary Care Group Practice
Olfson et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 1997;154:1734-1740.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sexual Risk Behaviors among Rural Women of Childbearing Age
Abel and Miller
J Holist Nurs 1997;15:282-302.
ABSTRACT  

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Among Incarcerated Women: II. Convicted Felons Entering Prison
Jordan et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996;53:513-519.
ABSTRACT  

The Association of Sexual Assault and Attempted Suicide Within the Community
Davidson et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996;53:550-555.
ABSTRACT  

Prevalence of Comorbid Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care Outpatients
Sherbourne et al.
Arch Fam Med 1996;5:27-34.
ABSTRACT  

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Review of the Cross-Cultural Epidemiological Literature
Staley and Wand
Transcultural Psychiatry 1995;32:103-136.
ABSTRACT  

The Boundary of Social Phobia: Exploring the Threshold
Davidson et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1994;51:975-983.
ABSTRACT  

Prevalence of Seasonal Affective Disorder in Iceland
Magnusson and Stefansson
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:941-946.
ABSTRACT  

African American Issues in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Perspective on Research Opportunities
Cohen
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1993;6:195-199.
ABSTRACT  

Competition and Community Mental Health Agencies
Clark and Dorwart
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 1992;17:517-540.
ABSTRACT  

Rurality and Gender: Effects on Early Adolescent Alcohol Use
Kelleher et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1992;146:317-322.
ABSTRACT  

Major Depression in a Nonclinical Sample: Demographic and Clinical Risk Factors for First Onset
Coryell et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1992;49:117-125.
ABSTRACT  

Depression, Disability Days, and Days Lost From Work in a Prospective Epidemiologic Survey
Broadhead et al.
JAMA 1990;264:2524-2528.
ABSTRACT  

Alcoholism--North America and Asia: A Comparison of Population Surveys With the Diagnostic Interview Schedule
Helzer et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1990;47:313-319.
ABSTRACT  

Epidemiological Findings of Seasonal Changes in Mood and Behavior: A Telephone Survey of Montgomery County, Maryland
Kasper et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1989;46:823-833.
ABSTRACT  

Increasing Rates of Depression
Klerman and Weissman
JAMA 1989;261:2229-2235.
ABSTRACT  

Depressive Symptoms and Depressive Diagnoses in a Community Population: Use of a New Procedure for Analysis of Psychiatric Classification
Blazer et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:1078-1084.
ABSTRACT  

One-Month Prevalence of Mental Disorders in the United States: Based on Five Epidemiologic Catchment Area Sites
Regier et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:977-986.
ABSTRACT  

Six-Month Prevalence of Specific Psychiatric Disorders Among Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites in Los Angeles
Burnam et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:687-694.
ABSTRACT  

Somatization in the Community
Escobar et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:713-718.
ABSTRACT  

The Prevalence of Specific Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rico
Canino et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:727-735.
ABSTRACT  

Alcohol Abuse and Dependence in the Rural South
Blazer et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987;44:736-740.
ABSTRACT