Rural-Urban Differences in the Use of Stress-Alleviative Drugs

The concern of this study is the differntial prevalence of stress in rural and urban areas. Although it has long been alleged that urban life is more stressful than that experienced in rural districts, the available evidence is far from consistent. This study, employing stress-alleviative drug use as an operational index of stress, examines rates of prescriptions for such drugs across the rural-urban continuum in New Zealand. The data, obtained from a nationwide surveys of pharmacists, are contrary to much of our convenitional wisdom regarding urban stress. Our findings indicate that in fact stress-related disorders are much more prevalent among rural than urban residents.