Adult Community Perspectives on Improving Rural Youth Access to Mental Health Services: A Participatory Group Concept Mapping Study.

BACKGROUND

Rural youth face barriers to mental health service access, including provider shortages, stigma, geographic isolation, and financial constraints. Community-engaged approaches are essential for developing contextually appropriate solutions.

METHODS

We used Group Concept Mapping, a participatory research method, to identify strategies for improving mental health service access for rural youth in three counties in northeastern Washington State. Adult community members participated in brainstorming, sorting, and rating potential solutions. Statements were rated on perceived impact and perceived equity dimensions and analyzed to identify thematic clusters.

RESULTS

Analysis yielded eight thematic clusters: Youth Life Skills Development, Community-Based Training & Education, Community Support Systems, Community Awareness & Engagement, Mental Health Services Delivery & Access, Affordability, School-Based Mental Health Services, and Capacity-Building in Schools. The Affordability cluster received the highest ratings for both impact and equity. Notably, 72.7% of statements in the Capacity-Building in Schools cluster fell in the "go-zone" (above the overall mean for both perceived impact and perceived equity). Strategies related to de-stigmatization, mental health education, and workforce development were highly rated across clusters.

CONCLUSIONS

Rural stakeholders prioritized school-based interventions, affordability, and mental health education as key strategies to improve access to youth mental health services. Findings highlight the importance of leveraging existing community infrastructure, particularly schools, and addressing mental health workforce shortages. Ratings reflect adult perceptions; youth were not participants. Future research should include youth perspectives and evaluate the feasibility of implementing these community-identified strategies.