Psychiatric disorders. A rural/urban comparison.

We studied rural/urban differences in the prevalence of nine psychiatric disorders from a community survey (part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program) of 3,921 adults living in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Crude comparisons disclosed that major depressive episodes and drug abuse and/or dependence were more common in the urban area, whereas alcohol abuse/dependence was more common in the rural area. When prevalence for these disorders was stratified for age, sex, race, and education (factors that may confound urban/rural comparisons), a number of significant differences were identified, such as higher prevalence of major depression in female and white subjects and higher prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence in the less educated subjects. A logistic-regression analysis was used to determine if significant urban/rural differences persisted when these potential confounders were controlled. Major depressive disorders were found to be twice as frequent in the urban area in this controlled analysis.