Depression and Poverty Among Rural Women: A Relationship of Social Causation or Social Selection?

  1. Leigh A. Simmons PhD1,
  2. Bonnie Braun PhD2,
  3. Richard Charnigo PhD3,
  4. Jennifer R. Havens PhD, MPH4,
  5. David W. Wright PhD5

Article first published online: 8 JUL 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2008.00171.x

Issue

The Journal of Rural Health

The Journal of Rural Health

Volume 24, Issue 3, pages 292–298, Summer 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Simmons, L. A., Braun, B., Charnigo, R., Havens, J. R. and Wright, D. W. (2008), Depression and Poverty Among Rural Women: A Relationship of Social Causation or Social Selection?. The Journal of Rural Health, 24: 292–298. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2008.00171.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Family Studies and the Department of Health Services Management, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.

  2. 2

    Department of Family Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.

  3. 3

    Departments of Statistics and Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.

  4. 4

    Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Ky.

  5. 5

    Department of Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 JUL 2008
  2. Article first published online: 8 JUL 2008

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ABSTRACT: Context and Purpose:Depression among rural women is a major public health concern. The purpose of this study was to test the competing theories of social causation and social selection to assess the relationship between depression and economic status for a sample of rural, low-income women in the United States. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from Rural Families Speak, a US Department of Agriculture-funded multi-state, longitudinal study of rural low-income families (N = 413). Findings: Results indicated that the social causation theory yielded a better approximation of the relationship between economic status and depression (RMSEA = 0.50 for a model based on this theory) than the social selection theory (RMSEA = 0.067). Conclusions: The association between lesser economic status and depressive symptoms is pressing in rural areas, given the high prevalence of both depression and poverty. These findings further emphasize the need for improved mental health services in this vulnerable population.

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