Living in a rural community is good for your health... or is it? Young women talk about rural living and their emotional and mental health

Abstract

Relatively little is known about how rural living influences the health of women. We explored how young women (18-39 years) living in two rural communities in Nova Scotia, Canada, perceive the impact of the physical and social environments on their emotional and mental health. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 women. Our research indicates that specific characteristics of the physical and social environments promote feelings and experiences of "connectedness," thus contributing positively to emotional and mental health. However, other features of the environments operate as obstacles to connectedness (particularly to services and supports), and negatively impact the women's emotional and mental health.