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Barriers To Rural Mental Health Care: Perspectives From Those Who Live There, Amanda R. Turlington

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

This research evaluated barriers to mental health care according to the perceptions o f rural dwellers. A survey was mailed to randomly selected registered voters in Lincoln County, Washington, in order to assess their perceptions of barriers to mental health care. The survey consisted of a request for demographic information, Lik:ert-style questions, and forced-choice responses that inquired about barriers to mental health care from the rural respondent' s perspective. Response patterns were then compared to (a) historical factors identified as barriers to mental health care: transportation, cost, accessibility, stigma, and self-reliance, and (b) the additional factors: distrust of outsiders, rural …