Mood and anxiety disorders among rural, urban, and metropolitan residents in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the correlates of mood and anxiety disorders among rural, urban and metropolitan residents in the United States.


METHODS
We analyzed the National Co-morbidity Survey (NCS), which yields the distribution and correlates of psychiatric disorders in a probability sample of U.S. population using DSM-III-R for diagnosis. Logistic regressions of mood and anxiety disorders were stratified by geographical area.


RESULTS
We found gender differences in mood disorders among urban (O.R. = 1.8, P < 0.0001) and metropolitan (O.R. = 1.6, P < 0.0001) but not among rural residents. Rural (O.R. = 0.2, P < 0.05) and urban (O.R. = 0.5, P < 0.05) African Americans were less likely to report mood disorders compared to rural and urban Whites. Similarly, we found gender differences in anxiety disorders among urban (O.R. = 2.0, P < 0.0001) and metropolitan (O.R. = 1.7, P < 0.0001), but not among rural residents.


CONCLUSIONS
Rural men reported more mood and anxiety disorders than urban men, thus erasing expected rural gender differences in these disorders. Rural male mood and anxiety disorders may be a function of diminishing resources (steady, high paying jobs) or increasing financial strain particularly among Whites, who comprise a majority of rural residents.
Diala
Chamberlain C
CC
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. Cdiala@jhuccp.org
Muntaner
Carles
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009790:Occupations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*