Rural residents in the United States experience unique mental health challenges, including having higher rates of depression and suicide and fewer mental healthcare providers than those living in urban areas.
Rural residents in Utah face similar challenges. There are higher suicide rates in rural areas of Utah, most rural mental health authorities have higher rates of serious mental illness than their urban counterparts and Utah’s rural areas struggle with mental health provider shortages.
The Utah Wellbeing Survey and interviews with residents in two rural Utah communities, Price and Park City, shed light on these broader statistics and more deeply explore mental health issues faced by rural Utahns. The survey, which was conducted in over 30 communities across the state, indicated that rural Utah communities had lower overall personal wellbeing and poorer mental health than urban cities. Additionally, rural Utahns expressed greater concern for suicide and access to mental healthcare than those from urban cities. Mental health was also shown to be vital to overall personal wellbeing across the state, including in rural areas.
While addressing broad mental health issues across Utah is important, we must also consider the particular circumstances of rural communities. Crafting unique approaches to addressing mental health issues in different types of rural communities is crucial. Each rural community is unique, calling for targeted approaches to addressing mental health issues based on their particular circumstances.
Rural communities dependent on natural resources merit attention. Interviews with nearly 30 residents of Price, which is heavily reliant on coal mining, revealed that mining dependency impacts mental health through job insecurity, lack of work, shiftwork and physical injury related to mining. Depression and anxiety arise when a mine closes and workers are no longer able to afford living expenses based on the income mining provided.
Some miners are unable to afford house payments, car payments, and/or food for their families when they lose their job upon a mine closure. Some said this may also lead to substance misuse or even suicide. The risk of physical injury affects mental health, as miners often do not know if they will come out of the mine with an injury. Further, shiftwork was mentioned as having an impact on mental health as miners are often not on a set schedule. They may switch between working days and nights, and may work long hauls.
Interviews in Price suggest that miners experience more mental health issues than those who work in other professions and that mental health issues may go unnoticed among miners, as they work in an environment where mental health is not openly discussed. Providing support to miners experiencing mental health issues is essential, as is making mental health resources readily accessible to them. For example, miners work long and varying hours. Having mental health resources that accommodate their changing schedules is key.
Another way that mining dependency impacts mental health is through uncertainty surrounding changing markets and political shifts at the federal level. Interviews showed there is fear political leaders will call for more efficient sources of power (for example, solar and wind power) and, if that does happen, miners will lose their jobs and livelihoods. This will also trickle down to the broader community. Many businesses in Price excel because of the coal mines, so if the coal mines close, so do they.
In the midst of these mental health issues, it is important to note that folks are hopeful about the future. Many highlighted strengths of the Price community, including how the community is supportive in times of need. For instance, the community came together to address substance misuse, with various organizations, such as StepOne Service at the local hospital and Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (locally known as USARA), providing support to individuals with substance use disorder. Most said coming together to address mental health concerns will be important moving forward, and new and continued collaboration is key.
Overall, findings reveal a critical need to address mental health issues among miners both in the Price area, and across Utah. In these areas, mental health could be addressed by reducing physical injury risks, providing support to miners and their families by offering compensation and retraining for new employment opportunities, job guarantees in other sectors and providing jobs that pay a living wage and have safe working conditions. Findings from the Utah Wellbeing Survey also showed there is a strong positive relationship between community connection and mental health. In other words, those who felt more connected to their city as a community had higher mental health ratings. Thus, increasing a sense of belonging for all residents in rural communities is important and is something leaders can act upon.
For resources and more information on addressing mental health, please see the links provided in this report.
Dr. Kristen Koci is an instructor, researcher, and recent Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Utah State University.
Kristen Koci is an instructor, researcher, and recent Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at Utah State University. Her research focuses on mental health and wellbeing in rural and natural resource dependent areas.
Dr. Jessica Schad is an associate professor of sociology at Utah State University.
Jessica Schad is an associate professor of sociology at Utah State University. She is director of the Community and Natural Resources Institute, and her research seeks to understand and promote sustainability, resiliency and wellbeing in rural communities.
Dr. Courtney Flint is a professor of environment and society at Utah State University.
Courtney Flint is a professor of environment and society at Utah State University. She directs the Utah Wellbeing Project and studies how communities respond to changing environments and landscapes.
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