Barriers to and need for alcohol services for women in rural populations.
BACKGROUND
This article reviews and summarizes the research on alcohol problems and issues related to alcohol services for rural women.


METHODS
We discuss the prevalence of alcohol problems, help-seeking behavior and barriers to help-seeking for rural women and suggest directions for future research for rural women with alcohol problems. We also address key methodological issues in measuring rurality that must be considered when designing research on rural women.


RESULTS
Little is known about these topics, specifically for rural women, and much has to be currently inferred either from studies of psychiatric disorders in rural populations, from studies of urban or suburban women, or from general research about rural life.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased knowledge regarding specific issues for women with alcohol problems in rural areas, particularly about gender-specific barriers to obtaining services and gender-specific needs for particular services, will be beneficial for developing programs designed to meet the unique needs of this group of women.