Rural youth are less likely than their suburban and urban peers to use mental health apps and teletherapy despite experiencing similar rates of anxiety and depression, according to an Aug. 19 report from Hopelab.
To develop the report, the company surveyed 1,274 people aged 14 to 22 living in rural, suburban and urban communities regarding their health, well-being and online behaviors.
Here are five things to know:
- Only 13% of rural youth used an app for depression, compared to 19% of their nonrural peers. Similar disparities were found for apps targeting anxiety (15% vs. 21%), sleep (14% vs. 36%) and stress reduction (17% vs. 24%).
- Twenty percent of rural participants said they had attended online therapy sessions, compared to 28% of their suburban and urban counterparts.
- Factors contributing to low digital use include limited broadband access, stigma around mental health, lack of parental support and privacy concerns in small communities.
- Rural youth were less likely to use social media daily (75% vs. 85%) but more likely to prefer it over in-person communication (49% vs 38%).
- Rural youth were also more likely to stop using social media due to harassment (36% vs. 26%) or concerns about time spent online (47% vs. 39%).
Read the full report here.
