A new analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health reveals that that rural parents are more likely to report their children volunteer in the community, have a mentor, and live in a safe neighborhood than their urban counterparts. Although national-level estimates on Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) have been made available earlier, information on rurality is suppressed for almost half of states in the public use files. By obtaining restricted access to the data, these authors identify a higher baseline level of PCEs among rural children. Authors suggest that future research must identify whether these higher levels of PCEs indeed translate to better mental health for rural children.
