This proposal seeks five years of continued support for the Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health (P50-MH48l65) at Iowa State University. The past four years of funding have enabled Center scientists to conduct a number of informative research projects and pilot studies that now lead to a proposed set of interrelated investigations directed toward understanding mechanisms of risk and resilience for mental disorders (e.g., depression, substance abuse, conduct disorders) for adults and children in truly disadvantaged rural populations. Building upon earlier findings from analyses related to the Family Stress Model, we propose three interrelated research projects that will examine sociocultural variations in risk, resilience, and vulnerability: (l) in the rural South and Midwest, (2) across a variety of family structures that reflect the natural ecology of children's development, (3) across the continuum of rural experience from the smallest villages to rural population centers, (4) in African-American and European-American families, and (5) in relation to community characteristics that increase or decrease risk for mental disorder under conditions of economic disadvantage. The results of these projects will have immediate applied significance in terms of designing community prevention programs that are socioculturally sensitive and that can target mechanisms related to risk and resilience ranging from community social networks to family interaction processes to individual dispositions and behaviors. In addition to these three major projects, we propose to pilot test a multi-component community prevention program derived from findings related to the Family Stress Model, conduct methodological investigations that can improve statistical strategies for risk and prevention research, and to assist in the development of faculty research related to rural mental health. We also request continuing support for research infrastructure, support that has considerably improved the capacity for rural mental health research in Iowa and collaborating research sites across the nation.
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