Trends in State Policy Contexts and Mental Health from 1993-2019

• In Event: Sociology of Mental Health Section Open Call Paper Session

Abstract

Scholars and policymakers have sounded the alarm about troubling trends in mental health in the United States such as the rise in suicide rates and extreme mental distress over the past 30 years. Notably, these changes have been uneven across states with the highest rates of distress in the South and Appalachia regions of the U.S. Because state policy contexts shape mental health outcomes, it is possible that shifts in state policy contexts have contributed to worsening mental health outcomes over time. The present study uses nationally representative cross-sectional survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS; n=7,822,006) merged with state policy context data to examine how shifts in state policy liberalism contribute to changes in frequent mental distress from 1993-2019. We further consider whether these patterns differ by life course stage (i.e., 18-44, 45-64, 65+), gender, or race/ethnicity. Preliminary findings demonstrate a robust association between state policy liberalism and frequent mental distress within states, but a more complicated picture of whether/how state policy contexts contribute to the increase in distress from 1993 to 2019. The present study will fill a gap in prior research by situating the state policy context as a key source of geographical disparities in mental health, which can inform intervention efforts and policy changes to improve population mental health.

Authors

• Rachel Donnelly, Vanderbilt University

• Blake William Lew Powell, Vanderbilt University

• Mateo Farina, University of Southern California

• Zhe Zhang, Vanderbilt University