Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that unmarried women living in rural areas have lower self-rated health status than their married counterparts. This lower health status often includes greater instances of self-assessed feelings of depression. James Rohrer, Ph.D., of Mayo Clinic’s department of Family Medicine is the lead author of the study. Dr. Rohrer discusses the connection between unmarried women living in rural areas and economic concerns. Unmarried women in rural areas often experience a greater degree of separation from usual health care, as many women gain insurance through a spouse or former spouse.
Here, Dr. Rohrer discusses the importance of self-assessed health as a measurement tool. The emergence of using self-assessed health as a tool for clinicians has expanded research.
Dr. Rohrer addresses the unique nature of having a large sample of rural patients. Because of Mayo Clinic’s location, there are high numbers of rural patients not typically seen in major medical practices.
Dr. Rohrer speaks on the need for clinicians to consider the financial dimension of self-assessed health. Medical schools focus on the biological, but concerns such as socio-economic status can be indicators of self-assessed health.
Dr. Rohrer discusses how current economic concerns make the study relevant. As people struggle with the mortgage crisis and the high cost of gasoline and food, clinicians need to understand the relationship between the economy and feelings of depression.
