Adapting a youth suicide prevention program for rural communities in the United States: A feasibility study

Rural youth suicide represents a major source of mental health inequity in the United States (US). School-based suicide prevention programs may provide an effective avenue to address this mental health crisis among rural youth. This study’s primary goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel implementation approach (utilizing teachers from a neighboring […]

Suicide among rural primary school learners in Zimbabwe: An epidemic in need of mitigation

The alarming rise of suicide cases among rural primary school students in Zimbabwe has become a major concern, as there is a significant lack of research on the root causes of suicide and effective prevention methods. This article aimed to address that gap by exploring Zimbabwe rural primary learners’ perspectives on the factors driving them […]

Rural suicide: A systematic review and recommendations

Suicide is a public-health concern that has been linked to multiple biological, psychological, and social risk factors. Rural living is purported to be a unique risk for suicide for myriad reasons. Yet there are some concerns with rural suicidology, notably regarding defining and operationalizing “rural.” Furthermore, the last comprehensive review of rural suicide is approximately […]

A randomized controlled trial protocol for a virtual, scalable suicide prevention gatekeeper training program for community pharmacy staff (Pharm-SAVES)

Background: Suicide prevention gatekeeping is a skill that may support community (retail) pharmacists in managing patients who present with suicide warning signs. A brief, virtual, case-based training intervention was tailored to the retail setting (Pharm-SAVES). To test training effectiveness, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol was developed for use in pharmacies across four states. Objective: To introduce […]

Co-design communities of practice in community- based mental health and rural suicide prevention

This paper presents two case studies in mental health co-design through a community of practice lens and involving collaborators that extend the traditional binary of ‘users’ and ‘stakeholders’. The co-design was undertaken outside the service sector and oriented towards creating and producing innovative praxis and creative products in service to community-based mental health and rural […]

A systematic review of mental health in rural Andean populations in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19 has been causing mental health problems around the world, with rural and indigenous peoples likely to be the most affected. This systematic review synthesizes and critically analyzes the existing literature on mental disorders in the rural Andean population in Latin America. Methods: A systematic review with narrative synthesis was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. […]

Expanding access to evidence-based psychotherapy in VA settings: Implementation of the brief cognitive behavioral therapy for depression program

Introduction: Evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) are effective for mental health conditions, but access to these services remains limited and rural Veterans are particularly underserved. Specialized implementation and dissemination programs are needed to improve access to known EBPs. Methods: The current project sought to improve access to a known EBP—brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression (Brief CBT). Diverse Veterans […]

A model of lived experience leadership for transformative systems change: Activating Lived Experience Leadership (ALEL) project

Purpose: This discursive paper presents a lived experience leadership model as developed as part of the Activating Lived Experience Leadership (ALEL) project project to increase the recognition and understanding of lived experience leadership in mental health and social sectors. The model of lived experience leadership was formulated through a collaboration between the South Australian Lived Experience […]

Impact of position in family on suicide: A case-control psychological autopsy study among Chinese rural youths

Introduction. Suicide remains an important public health issue in China. Existing literature on the relationship between individual-familial variables and suicide risk mainly focused on family socioeconomic status, and few studies analyzed the effect of position in family on suicide. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between position in family and suicide among […]

Intersectional prevalence of suicide ideation, plan, and attempt based on gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, and rurality

Importance: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are major public health problems, and some social groups experience disproportionate STB burden. Studies assessing STB inequities for single identities (eg, gender or sexual orientation) cannot evaluate intersectional differences and do not reflect that the causes of inequities are due to structural-level (vs individual-level) processes. Objective: To examine differences in STB […]

Rural mental health: Fourth report of session 2022-23

In this report, Chapter 2 first sets the terms of debate and then explores what the available data and other information can reveal about the incidence, prevalence and risks of poor mental health in England’s rural communities, including a focus on farming and  agriculture. Chapter 3 then examines the rates and risks of suicide in […]

Youth suicide bereavement and the continuum of risk

Background: There is limited research investigating the risks for young friends exposed to the suicide of peers. Aims: This study aimed to better understand the impact of suicide bereavement on rural young people. Method: Participants in this a mixed-method study were 18 young people who had been exposed to a friend’s suicide and who resided in rural Australia. Quantitative data […]

The relationship between rurality, travel time to care and death by suicide

Background We previously found an association between rurality and death by suicide, where those living in rural areas were more likely to die by suicide. One potential reason why this relationship exists might be travel time to care. This paper examines the relationship between travel time to both psychiatric and general hospitals and suicide, and […]

Rural perspectives on suicide prevention in Canada

Rural residence has been identified as a risk factor for suicide, especially for men. Little qualitative research exists on rural suicide, which might help deepen understandings of prevention strategies within rural places. Therefore, virtual focus groups  were held across six Canadian provinces to give voice to rural community members and service workers about suicide prevention. […]

Suicides in urban and rural counties in the United States, 2006-2008

Background: Suicide rates are higher in rural areas. It has been hypothesized that inadequate access to care may play a role, but studies examining individual decedent characteristics are lacking. Aims: We sought to characterize the demographic, socioeconomic, and mental health features of individual suicide decedents by urban-rural residence status. Method: We analyzed suicides in 16 states using 2006-2008 […]

Suicidality in rural communities: A scoping review of research in Canada

A scoping review of research about suicidality in rural and remote Canadian communities, published between 2009 and July 2020 was conducted by searching Embase, Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SocIndex, Geobase, and PsycArticles databases. Included articles were reviewed and charted using data extraction. Thirty-nine Canadian, non-Indigenous articles met inclusion. Most publications were based on quantitative research (23). […]

Patterns of mental healthcare provision in rural areas: A demonstration study in Australia and Europe

Introduction: Mental healthcare systems are primarily designed to urban populations. However, the specific characteristics of rural areas require specific strategies, resource allocation, and indicators which fit their local conditions. This planning process requires comparison with other rural areas. This demonstration study aimed to describe and compare specialized rural adult mental health services in Australia, Norway, and […]

Patterns of mental health care in remote areas: Kimberley (Australia), Nunavik (Canada), and Lapland (Finland)

Objective: Mental health (MH) care in remote areas is frequently scarce and fragmented and difficult to compare objectively with other areas even in the same country. This study aimed to analyze the adult MH service provision in 3 remote areas of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in the world. Methods: We used an […]

Youth perspectives on barriers and opportunities for the development of a peer support model to promote mental health and prevent suicide

Suicide prevention is a public health priority. The purpose of this study was to elicit and document the perspectives of youth (ages 15–24) on the development of a peer support model for mental health promotion and suicide prevention for youth in small communities in western Canada. A qualitative descriptive approach informed by a socioecological framework […]

The lived experience of family members of older people who have died by suicide in rural China

Aim The aim of the study is to provide insight and facilitate a deeper understanding of family members who have experienced their older family member’s suicide. Design Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study. Methods Semi-structured individual interviews with five family members of older people who died by suicide recruited from a rural area of Shanxi Province, […]

Geography, rurality, and community distress: deaths due to suicide, alcohol‑use, and drug‑use among Colorado Veterans

Background: In the USA, deaths due to suicide, alcohol, or drug-related causes (e.g., alcohol-related liver disease, overdose) have doubled since 2002. Veterans appear disproportionately impacted by growing trends. Limited research has been conducted regarding the relationship between community-level factors (e.g., rurality, community distress resulting from economic conditions) and the presence of spatial clustering of suicide, alcohol-related, […]

Rural and remote mental health in Canada: Evidence brief on best and promising practices

Rural and remote communities in Canada face unique challenges in providing access to quality mental health services. People in these communities must often travel great distances to get the help they need. Where services do exist, they are frequently stretched thin, with long wait lists, high turnover rates, and poor communications infrastructures (despite the increased […]

The impact of COVID-19 on rural and remote mental health and substance use

This policy brief provides an overview of the developing issues and unique mental health and substance use challenges that COVID-19 poses for rural and remote communities. It builds on a preliminary scan the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) completed at the outset of the pandemic and on an evidence brief on best and promising practices written just before […]