This book examines the implications of rural residence for adolescents and families in the United States, addressing both the developmental and mental health difficulties they face. Special attention is given to the unique circumstances of minority families residing in rural areas and how these families navigate challenges as well as their sources of resilience. Chapters describe approaches for enhancing the well-being of rural minority youth and their families. In addition, chapters discuss the challenges of conducting research within rural populations and propose new frameworks for studying these diverse communities. Finally, the volume offers recommendations for reducing the barriers to health and positive development in rural settings.Featured topics include:

• Changes in work and family structures in the rural United States.
• Rural job loss to offshoring and automation.
• The opioid crisis in the rural United States.
• Prosocial behaviorsin rural U.S. Latino/a youth.
• Demographic changes across nonmetropolitan areas.

Rural Families and Communities in the United States is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, clinicians, professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology, family studies, public health as well as numerous interrelated disciplines, including sociology, demography, social work, prevention science, educational policy, political science, and economics.

Autorentext

Jennifer E. Glick, Ph.D., is Arnold S. and Betty G. Hoffman Professor in Sociology and Director of the Population Research Institute at Penn State. 

Susan M. McHale, Ph.D., is Director of the Social Science Research Institute and Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Professor of Demography at Penn State.

Valarie King, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology, Demography, and Human Development and Family Studies and Associate Head of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Penn State.

Inhalt
Part I. Family Life and Work in Rural Communities.- Chapter 1. Rural Poverty: Research and Policy for U.S. Families.- Chapter 2. Changes in Work and Family Across the Rural United States.- Chapter 3. Employment and Wages in the Places Left Behind.- Part II. Economic and Health Challenges Facing Families in the Rural United States.- Chapter 4. Rural Job Loss to Offshoring and Automation.- Chapter 5. The Opioid Crisis in the Rural United States.- Chapter 6. Demographic Components of Aging in the Nonmetropolitan United States, 1980-2017.- Part III. Family Roles, Well-Being, and Development Pathways in Rural Areas.- Chapter 7. Rural African Americans' Family Relationships and Well-Being.- Chapter 8. Early Development and Family Life in Rural United States.- Chapter 9. Latino Prosocial Development in the Rural United States.- Chapter 10. Rural Families in the United States: Theory, Research and Policy.