Rurality,stress, and illness among women: A pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the relationships among rurality, stressful life events, and illness in women. A purposive sample of 13 Texas urban and rural women was surveyed. Instruments included an adapted version of the Norbeck Life Experiences Survey for Women and an adapted version of the Wyler Seriousness of Illness Scale. Rurality was measured according to the percentage of lifetime spent in a rural area.

A significant correlation of r = .76 (p < .01) was found between stressful life events scores and illness. No significant relationship, however, was found between rurality and stressful life events scores, nor rurality and illness. Demographic variables including age, number of children, socioeconomic status, and work outside of the home also failed to significantly relate to rurality, stress, or illness. The most common areas of stressful events cited by rural women were health, work, personal/social, finances, and environment. These preliminary results suggest that stereotypical rural‐urban differences among women related to stress and illness may not exist.