Abstract
Researchers have not adequately addressed the unique characteristics of rural areas that influence the accessibility of services for families with children who have serious emotional problems. Understanding rurality is particularly important to “systems of care” grant sites because these grants are intended to restructure mental health service delivery by building upon the strengths of a community and addressing the community’s needs. This qualitative study examines the barriers to and supports for participation in services within a rural system of care site through the reported experiences of eight caregivers and nine staff. Findings indicate families face many challenges related to rurality, including stigma, transportation, isolation, poverty, and service availability. In addition to these challenges, however, participants reported many meaningful supports such as the religious community and the close-knit community of families and service providers. We present implications for planning, implementing, and evaluating systems of care in rural areas.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the staff and families of the anonymous “Community of Care” program, the statewide family support agency, the state mental health department, and the mental health service provider agency for their contributions. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (RO1 MH-70680 and T32 MH-019544).
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Pullmann, M.D., VanHooser, S., Hoffman, C. et al. Barriers to and Supports of Family Participation in a Rural System of Care for Children with Serious Emotional Problems. Community Ment Health J 46, 211–220 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-009-9208-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-009-9208-5