[Homestead] We could have told them that

Gene GeRue genegerue at ruralize.com
Wed Jan 4 10:56:56 EST 2006


'Mental health better' in country
4 January 2006

People who live in the country have better mental health than those who 
live in towns and cities, researchers have said.

Some theories have suggested that the isolation of rural living, the lack 
of social networks and difficulties accessing amenities have a negative 
impact on country-dwellers' mental health.

But other studies have shown higher rates of common mental disorders such 
as depression and anxiety in urban areas, and also higher rates of suicides.

Researchers writing for the British Journal of Psychiatry have revealed 
that people living in the countryside do have slightly better mental health 
than their counterparts living in the town.

The team, from Warwick Medical School, Portsmouth University and Bristol 
University, used information from the British Household Panel Survey, which 
began in 1991.

In total they looked at data for 7,659 adults in England, Wales and 
Scotland, taking into account factors such as age, marital status, 
employment, financial strain and physical health problems.

"There are small but statistically significant differences in rates of 
common mental disorders between urban and rural residents," the researchers 
said.

"Rural residents had slightly better mental health than non-rural counterparts.

"The effects of geographical location on the mental health of participants 
were neither significantly confounded nor modified by socio-economic 
status, employment status or household income."

The researchers found that rates of mental problems both starting and 
continuing were lower in rural areas. They also found a high rate of 
remission in people with common mental disorders at the start of the study 
who lived in the least densely populated areas.

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/PA_NEWA17368501136298173A0?source=PA%20Feed





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