Ford CeRon, Rydberg Katie, Henning-Smith Carrie
Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Mayo Mail Code 729, 420 Delaware Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
J Relig Health. 2025 Aug 9. doi: 10.1007/s10943-025-02403-6.
In the United States (U.S.), rural residents experience poorer mental health outcomes and more barriers to accessing mental health care than urban residents. Faith-based institutions provide mental and behavioral health programming that can fill gaps in accessibility to mental health care. This study's primary objective was to examine specific factors associated with mental and behavioral health programming in rural, urban and suburban congregations. Data come from 1,262 U.S. congregations in the 2018-2019 National Congregations Study. We conducted logistic regression models to analyze the relationship between mental health programming and support and county classification, while controlling for sociodemographic and sociopolitical factors. We found that urban and suburban congregations with more than 500 attendees were more likely than smaller congregations to provide mental and behavioral health programming and support (OR = 3.43, p < 0.001). Urban and suburban congregations that made an effort to get people registered to vote (OR = 5.36, p < 0.01) and discussed science and religion (OR = 3.16, p < 0.05) were more likely to provide programming and support. Rural congregations (OR = 4.37, p < 0.05) and urban and suburban congregations (OR = 2.61, p < 0.05) that followed the prosperity gospel were also more likely to provide programming and support. While urban and suburban congregations are more likely to provide mental health programming and support than rural congregations, several complex sociodemographic, sociopolitical, and health-related characteristics impact the likelihood of providing mental health programs. Further research is needed to examine the quality and utilization of congregational mental health programming and/or support by rural, suburban and urban residents.
在美国,农村居民的心理健康状况比城市居民更差,获得心理健康护理的障碍也更多。基于信仰的机构提供的心理和行为健康项目可以填补心理健康护理可及性方面的空白。本研究的主要目的是考察农村、城市和郊区教会中与心理和行为健康项目相关的具体因素。数据来自2018 - 2019年全国教会研究中的1262个美国教会。我们进行了逻辑回归模型分析,以控制社会人口统计学和社会政治因素,分析心理健康项目及支持与县分类之间的关系。我们发现,有500名以上参与者的城市和郊区教会比规模较小的教会更有可能提供心理和行为健康项目及支持(比值比[OR]=3.43,p<0.001)。努力让人们登记投票的城市和郊区教会(OR = 5.36,p<0.01)以及讨论科学与宗教的教会(OR = 3.16,p<0.05)更有可能提供项目及支持。遵循成功福音的农村教会(OR = 4.37,p<0.05)以及城市和郊区教会(OR = 2.61,p<0.05)也更有可能提供项目及支持。虽然城市和郊区教会比农村教会更有可能提供心理健康项目及支持,但一些复杂的社会人口统计学、社会政治和健康相关特征会影响提供心理健康项目的可能性。需要进一步研究来考察农村、郊区和城市居民对教会心理健康项目及支持的质量和利用情况。