Use of Mental Health Services by Rural Children This study
examines rural and urban differences in the use of children's
mental health services and the role that family income, health
insurance, and mental health status play in explaining these
differences. The analysis is based on three years of pooled data
from the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). Three
research questions are examined: (1) What is the mental health
need of children, age 6 to 17? (2) What percentage of children,
with an identified mental health need, used a mental health
service in the past year? What is the average number of mental
health visits they received in the past year? (3) What role does
family income and type of insurance have on the use of mental
health services by children? Analyses show that rural and urban
children both face substantial barriers to use of mental health
services. Medicaid and SCHIP help all children, but particularly
rural children who receive mental health care. This suggests
that these public heal