Journal of Rural Mental Health, Vol 48(4), Oct 2024, 230-240; doi:10.1037/rmh0000267
Access to mental health services is a growing concern in the United States, especially in rural and underserved communities. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mental health conditions and compare the utilization of mental health services across rurality in the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program (NIH-AOURP). Data were accessed via the NIH-AOURP online workbook environment. Participants were classified as rural if they indicated by survey that they resided too far from a health care provider. Participants reported lifetime history of a mental health or substance use condition and utilization of mental health care within the last 12 months. Demographic characteristics included race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, insurance status, and age. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of mental health utilization adjusting for sex, age, and insurance status. Among the 105,819 participants, 2.8% identified as rural. Proportionally more rural participants reported a lifetime history of a mental health condition (57.9%) versus nonrural participants (49.9%, p