A rural mental health research agenda: Defining context and setting priorities

This article provides a brief overview of research perspectives on rural me ntal health sen ices and suggests the importance of building an agenda to b ring coherence to studies in this area. The need for sound theory and metho dology to guide research is emphasized The importance of better conceptuali zation of the rural context as a focus of research is addressed, and 14 pro positions concerning issues the authors think will advance rural research a re presented. This article is intended to stimulate discussion about a rese arch agenda that will lead to better understanding of rural needs for menta l health services as well as more responsive service models.