| dc.description.abstract | Background: Rural veterans represent an understudied population, particularly as it relates to mental health. This study hypothesized that the relationships between demographic factors (race, employment status, insurance status) and well-being outcomes (depression, anxiety, unhealthy days) are mediated by perceived access to mental health care, utilization of services when needed, and delayed access to mental health care due to transportation barriers. This study also investigated the relationships between age, sex, and warzone experience and the three aforementioned mental health outcomes.
Methods: A path analysis was used to examine a model consisting of six demographic predictor variables, three access-related mediator variables, and three mental health outcome variables in the 2013 Regional Health Assessment survey of the Brazos Valley region of Texas.
Results: Contrary to the hypothesis, there were no statistically significant indirect effects involving the mediator variable (perceived access) retained in the final model. Female veterans reported higher anxiety symptom levels than males, and veterans without warzone experience reported lower levels of anxiety than those with warzone experience.
Discussion: Although the primary study analysis revealed no significant mediating effect of perceived access on the relationship between demographic factors and mental health and well-being, this study provides valuable insight for better understanding mental health among veterans in the rural Brazos Valley region. Future studies are needed to further elucidate the role of access-related factors as mediators between demographic factors and mental well-being. | en |
