2018 Applied Social Issues Grant Recipient

Combatting a Fatal Combination: Assessing the Needs Related to
Substance Use and Suicide in Rural Appalachia


Keri Frantell

While substance use tends to be greater in rural areas generally (e.g., Keyes, Cerdá, Brady, Havens, & Galea, 2014) and deaths by suicide in Tennessee are greater than the national average (Tennessee Department of Health, 2017), there continues to be little empirical research about suicide generally, and overdose suicide specifically, within Appalachian communities (e.g., Walls & Billings, 1977).Because so little is known about the particular needs of people living in rural Appalachia, and because of the potential increased risk for deaths by suicide and overdose deaths in this population, I am partnering with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network to better understand the needs of this community. We have formed a working group with many service providers in East Tennessee who work with populations at the intersection of substance use and suicide. Together, we will develop our specific research questions. The research will then include a mixed-methods, multi-level needs assessment to determine barriers to mental health care treatment and suicide prevention, and potential opportunities for substance use or suicide intervention. An initial round of qualitative interviews will be conducted with service providers (i.e., social workers, case managers, counselors) in rural Appalachia. These interviews will then inform the development of a quantitative survey to be administered within rural communities. Our aim is to present materials to community partners and stakeholders (e.g., mental health care providers,medical providers, social services agencies) with the intention of developing a plan of action to address the identified needs. Because members of the collaborating agencies operate in different capacities, different plans will be identified for prevention, intervention/treatment, and postvention.

Back to menu