Evaluation of a Tasmanian Community-Based Rural Mental Health Program
Tracks
Ballroom 1
| Wednesday, October 17, 2018 |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Speaker
Dr Heather Bridgman
Lecturer in Mental Health, University of Tasmania
RRMH TAS Sub Committee
Evaluation of a Tasmanian Community-Based Rural Mental Health Program
Abstracts
Purpose: Mental health promotion programs are important in rural communities, where mental health problems may be compounded by isolation, lack of services and negative social constructs. However, it is well-documented the implementation of such programs is challenged by a multitude of factors, including small population size, geographic isolation and difficulty in retaining adequately qualified staff. The aim of this research was to explore factors that impacted the implementation and sustainability of a rural, community-based mental health promotion program.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach evaluated an existing mental health promotion program in four rural Tasmanian community sites, at differing stages of implementation. Surveys (n=245), including the Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) assessment, and qualitative (focus group and interview) data from key local stakeholders and community members (n=24), was collected to explore the perceived factors that impacted the implementation of the program. Descriptive statistics for the survey were generated from the survey while the qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings: Survey results identified the more established program sites were perceived to have higher resilience using the CART assessment, including greater community resources (p=0.01) and stronger community connections (p=0.01). Qualitative data supported these findings and identified several other emergent themes including community readiness factors including the desire for the program, community and organisational leadership and community capacity. Perceived barriers to program implementation included high staff turnover and limited awareness of mental health in the community.
Conclusion: The factors that may improve the success of a mental health promotion program include evaluating community resilience, readiness and optimising the structure and delivery of the program and service. These factors should be considered during the design, implementation and evaluation of a mental health promotion program.
Keywords: Rural Health Services, Mental Health, Community
Key Learnings:
1. Community readiness is a key factor in the successful delivery of mental health programs in rural areas.
2. Importance of understanding and working with community strengths rather than perceived deficits.
3. Supporting and enhancing program staff capabilities in the adoption of evidenced-based approaches.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach evaluated an existing mental health promotion program in four rural Tasmanian community sites, at differing stages of implementation. Surveys (n=245), including the Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) assessment, and qualitative (focus group and interview) data from key local stakeholders and community members (n=24), was collected to explore the perceived factors that impacted the implementation of the program. Descriptive statistics for the survey were generated from the survey while the qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings: Survey results identified the more established program sites were perceived to have higher resilience using the CART assessment, including greater community resources (p=0.01) and stronger community connections (p=0.01). Qualitative data supported these findings and identified several other emergent themes including community readiness factors including the desire for the program, community and organisational leadership and community capacity. Perceived barriers to program implementation included high staff turnover and limited awareness of mental health in the community.
Conclusion: The factors that may improve the success of a mental health promotion program include evaluating community resilience, readiness and optimising the structure and delivery of the program and service. These factors should be considered during the design, implementation and evaluation of a mental health promotion program.
Keywords: Rural Health Services, Mental Health, Community
Key Learnings:
1. Community readiness is a key factor in the successful delivery of mental health programs in rural areas.
2. Importance of understanding and working with community strengths rather than perceived deficits.
3. Supporting and enhancing program staff capabilities in the adoption of evidenced-based approaches.
Biography
Heather is a Clinical Health Psychologist and Lecturer in Rural Mental Health at the Centre for Rural Health UTAS. Heather supervises psychology students and interns on rural placements. She undertakes research and service evaluations relating to rural mental health service delivery. She has worked on such projects as ‘Epilepsy Connect: The Development of a telephone-based peer support program for Tasmanians living with or affected by epilepsy”, “Delivering and Evaluating Health Literacy Programs” and the “Rural Art Roadshow: Promoting Positive mental health in Rural Communities.” She is currently working on a rural psychology workforce project.
*Program is subject to change
