Collaborative research for rural mental health makes minds matter

Abstract

This special edition of Advances in Mental Health focuses on seven papers that at first glance appear to have little relationship to each other. They are, however, a selection of papers presented at a national academic conference, Minds Matter, held in Coffs Harbour, NSW, in April 2014. This conference was the culmination of research activities associated with a number of Australian universities that shared a focus on rural mental health and wellbeing, as part of a collaborative research network. The diversity of the papers contained in this special issue reflects the breadth of research areas encompassed in both the conference and in the work of this collaborative research network.In May 2011, the Australian Commonwealth Government announced funding to establish 12 Collaborative Research Network (CRN) projects around Australia. With a further three projects announced in July 2012, the total funding for this program was $81.1 million (Department of Education and Training, 2014). The CRN program was intended to effect positive change in the research and research training capacity of smaller, regional and less research-intensive universities. Specifically, the objectives of the CRN program were to:* help smaller and less research-intensive universities adapt to a research system driven by performance outcomes* facilitate collaboration between these universities and larger universities with established research strengths* encourage less research-intensive, smaller and regional universities to focus their research activities in areas of excellence* improve the level of collaboration between different parts of the innovation system, and in particular, between universities, and* address wider national research and innovation goals.Under this scheme, the University of New England (UNE), located in regional northwest NSW, was awarded $4.8 million from the Australian Government to establish a CRN on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Rural and Regional Communities. The project commenced in 2011 and was managed by UNE in collaboration with five partner organizations:* University of Newcastle* University of Sydney* La Trobe University* University of New South Wales* Hunter New England Local Heath District (HNELHD).The CRN was supported by a large and dynamic team of senior academic staff across the five partner organizations. Their range of expertise contributed to a biopsychosocial approach to understanding and addressing mental health and wellbeing in rural, regional and remote Australia. The activities of the CRN were to build links with rural communities and health providers focusing on three areas of existing research strength within UNE:* Self-care and mental health within regional communities (Theme A)* Sexuality, identity and mental health impacts on wellbeing and inclusion (Theme B)* Biomedical science to support rural mental health (Theme C)Theme A comprised four investigative areas with objectives as follows:1. Building rural mental health workforce capacity. To contribute to improving the mental health of rural communities by identifying particular challenges associated with rural mental health workforces, capacity development and system changes, and developing models of support for existing and new rural mental health practitioners.2. Disability across the lifespan. To investigate how individuals, families and carers manage health and socio-economic challenges associated with disabilities across the lifespan, and how lifelong disabilities affect the health and socio-economic wellbeing of regional families. Utilizing the expertise of partners, and working with disability agencies, to map key issues to assist in developing appropriate models of care that will improve support and access to services for families in rural communities.3. Suicide in rural areas. To explore the suicide trajectory in rural communities through prevention, intervention and postvention. …