Community Viability and Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: Rural Insights for Community-Based Care

Access to mental healthcare varies greatly in rural, suburban, and urban communities. The community viability indicator (CVI) and the community attitudes to mental illness (CAMI) scale are tools for understanding a community’s health and viability and their receptiveness toward people with mental illness. This study of US adults (n = 1,028) in rural, urban, and suburban communities aimed to describe the relationship between community viability and community attitudes toward mental illness and determine the effect of community type on CAMI scores. Results revealed positive associations between community attitudes toward mental illness and community viability for rural and suburban community members. Using a one-way analysis of variance, researchers revealed that community type had a significant effect on community mental health ideology. Researchers recommend continued use of these scales in rural communities of interest, especially in areas with greater health disparities, to determine if and how intervention is needed.