Mental health, well-being, and poverty: A study in urban and rural communities in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

This article analyzes the relations between mental health and well-being in urban and rural contexts marked by poverty. The analysis takes as its basis a quantitative research conducted with 417 adult inhabitants of two communities, one rural and the other urban, in Northeastern Brazil. The data were constructed using questionnaires composed of sociodemographic data, the Personal Wellbeing Index and Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) scales. We found significant differences between the inhabitants of the rural and urban communities regarding well-being and the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD), with a higher average well-being score in the rural context; the urban sample had a higher average regarding the prevalence of CMD. The variable income significantly influenced the SRQ-20 average scores; the same was not observed with well-being scores. Besides, it was observed that there is a negative correlation with well-being and CMD.

Prevalence of Psychological Distress in Suriname In Urban and Rural Areas: The Suriname Health Study

“…It is also observed that adolescents seek more psychological assistance for issues like depression, thoughts of suicide and anxiety [7]. Further research is In Australia and Northern Brazil a higher prevalence was measured in the rural areas whilst in Canada and England the reverse was observed [22,36,37]. In the United states as in our study no significant differences were observed between the living areas [38]…”

“When I Retire, I’ll Move Out of the City”: Mental Well-being of the Elderly in Rural vs. Urban Settings

“…However, while some studies suggest that the rural environment can have a positive effect on mental well-being [25], especially in developed environments [26,27], others emphasize the negative impact of living isolated in rural communities [28], and the stigma residents may be subject to when seeking help to treat their mental health problems, given that communities are small and social networks do not favor privacy [29]. Psychosocial factors are also a more important determinant of affective or anxiety disorders than the isolation of communities per se [30].…”

The influence of resilience on mental health: The role of general well‐being

“…Besides, GWB could in fact act as a protective factor against psychopathology (McCrae, ). A Brazilian study suggested one of the key issues of mental health services was whether they actually improve the well‐being of the patients for whom psychopathology, especially depression and anxiety, plays an important role (Nepomuceno, Cardoso, Ximenes, Barros, & Leite, ). Based on the previous studies, we will explore how GWB, resilience, and mental health are related among nurses, thus propose the following hypotheses:Hypothesis General well‐being can mediate the relationship between resilience and mental health.Hypothesis The relationship between resilience and mental health is moderated by GWB.…”