Rural Veterans with Serious Mental Illness Face Significant Barriers to Care, Study Finds
A new study published in The Journal of Rural Health has uncovered stark disparities in mental health care access for US veterans living in rural areas. Analyzing data from 387,477 veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) between 2018 and 2022, the research found that 28% of this population resides in rural areas, and they are consistently less likely to receive critical services than their urban counterparts.
Key Disparities in Care
Even after adjusting for demographics and clinical characteristics, rural veterans experienced significantly lower odds of receiving care compared to urban veterans:
- 38% lower odds of receiving any SMI care
- 15% lower odds of having a video-to-home telehealth visit
- 13% lower odds of an outpatient mental health visit
- 10% lower odds of receiving multidisciplinary care
Rural veterans were also more likely to have co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and PTSD, compounding the complexity of their mental health needs.
Who is Least Likely to Get Care?
The study identified specific characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of receiving mental health care:
- Older age
- White race
- Non-Hispanic ethnicity
- Male sex
- Widowed marital status
- Lack of service connection
A Call for Better Outreach
Alexandra B. Caloudas, PhD, the study's corresponding author, highlighted the urgent need for targeted intervention.
"The findings indicate an opportunity to improve outreach and support for rural veterans with SMI to ensure they are aware of and can access VHA services."