Suicide rates among Black youth have risen faster than any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades. Black youth residing in rural areas are subject to systemic challenges such as minimal access to mental healthcare providers, generational poverty and oppressive social structures that lead to racial discrimination. Racial discrimination…

Educational challenges in rural places are compounded when discussions include race and ethnicity. In this chapter we explore how family, school, and community factors influence rural African American students' educational aspirations. Based on this review of literature, we make recommendations for student affairs practice.

Findings from recent epidemiological investigations indicate that substance use in rural America has increased to the point where it nearly equals, if not exceeds, the rates found in suburban and urban areas. Although previous research has examined factors that have influenced use patterns, little attention has been devoted to the social and…

This paper recommends that rural education researchers adopt an ecological approach that acknowledges both family and community influences on child development and school outcomes. Although rural researchers have generated useful information about children, few studies have provided a full portrayal of rural children's lives. A fundamental…

This paper addresses the shortage of physicians providing medical services to rural communities in Queensland, Australia. Queensland is the fastest growing Australian state, but it has the lowest ratio of total doctors to population. Data indicate there may be twice as many patients per rural doctor compared with the city, which represents a…

Traditional sex role stereotypes, as reflected in the attitudes and values of rural southern females, educators, employers, male partners, parents, and communities, have a negative influence on the southern rural female's desire for and access to non-traditional training and employment; black females face both racial and sexual bias. Mothers exert…