Living in a rural community:determinants and consequences of mental health and wellbeing. [ 2006 - 2008 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Brian Kelly (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Lyn Fragar ,  A/Pr Terry Lewin ,  Prof David Lyle ,  Prof Helen Stain
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Brief description Th e proposed study will investigate individual, family and community factors associated with the mental health and wellbeing of residents in rural communties of NSW. It will also examine rural residents' perceptions of their mental health needs and their access and utilisation of health services. The study will be conducted in 3 rural Area Health Services in NSW (Greater Western,Hunter New England and North Coast) comprising 70% of the rural population of NSW. These health regions encompass rural, remote and coastal NSW. We aim to conduct the mail and telephone survey on adults residing in 4000 households across the 3 regions. Unique aspects of the study include: i) Examination of a diverse range of rural communities which will provide the opportunity to investigate the influence and interaction of specific community characteristics on mental health. These community factors will include social and economic factors, severity of rural environmental stress (eg drought), and the levels of access to health and other services. ii) Focus on the household and its members so as to examine the mental health needs of family groups in rural communities. This cross-sectional study will form the baseline for a longitudinal study investigating the changes experienced by rural families over time and the impact of such change on mental health outcomes.

Funding Amount $AUD 729,415.90

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant