Coping with Health Care Challenges in Rural Communities
Abstract
Rural families continue to experience health inequalities in comparison to their urban and suburban counterparts. Rural residents face disadvantages in several aspects, including socioeconomics, health behaviors, and health outcomes; all of which are perpetuated by a lack of relevant resources. In response to these ongoing rural health disparities, the purpose of this study is to understand the family strategies used to cope with highly stressful circumstances associated with rurality and low-income in order to optimize the family health for its members.
Family Stress Theory (FST) is the guiding theoretical framework for this study. It describes a family’s adaptation relating to the degree and type of stressor(s) presented, but this relationship is mediated by the family’s available resources and perceptions of the stressor(s).
Using secondary, qualitative data, we analyzed interview transcripts of twenty-five mothers from rural counties in three states, Florida, Kentucky, and Washington. Participants were female caregivers of at least one child under the age of 13. Qualitative analyses identified three major themes: 1) family health exacerbated by rural poverty, 2) assessment and utilization of resources, and 3) perceived hierarchy of needs and actions. The results of this study revealed how rural, low-income mothers cope with highly stressful environments economically and geographically to optimize their family health, and can be used to inform the development of programming to support them.
About the Presenter
Chelsea Ward
Chelsea Ward is a senior at Washington State University Vancouver and will be receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development in May 2021. As a research assistant, she has been involved in multi-state research focusing on the well-being of rural low-income families since January 2020. She has recently been appointed a chosen recipient of the Exceptional Undergraduate Students in Prevention Science award for her contributions to this research project. She is currently interning at a preschool serving low-income families and hopes to seek a future career as a family advocate. In her free time she enjoys engaging with music, primarily as a Zumba instructor.