Impacts of Community Resilience on the Implementation of a Mental Health Promotion Program in Rural Australia

Mental health promotion programs are important in rural communities but the factors which influence program effectiveness remain unclear. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to assess how community resilience affected the implementation of a mental health promotion program in rural Tasmania, Australia. Four study communities were selected based on population size, rurality, access to local support services, history of suicide within the community, and maturity of the mental health promotion program. Data from self-report questionnaires (n = 245), including items of Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) assessment, and qualitative (focus group and interview) data from key local stakeholders (n = 24), were pooled to explore the factors perceived to be influencing program implementation. Survey results indicate the primary community resilience strengths across the four sites were related to the ‘Connection and Caring’ domain. The primary community resilience challenges related to resources. Qualitative findings suggested lack of communication and leadership are key barriers to effective program delivery and identified a need to provide ongoing support for program staff. Assessment of perceived community resilience may be helpful in informing the implementation of mental health promotion programs in rural areas and, in turn, improve the likelihood of their success and sustainability.

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Pilot Testing the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability in a Process Evaluation of a Community Pharmacy–Based Men’s Mental Health Promotion Program

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/2158244019885129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 215824401988512

Author(s):

Andrea Lynn Murphy ◽

David Martin Gardner

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Mental Health Promotion ◽

Health Promotion Program ◽

Perceived Effectiveness ◽

Pilot Testing ◽

Promotion Program ◽

Affective Attitude

The objective of this study was to assess men’s acceptability of a men’s mental health promotion program in community pharmacies through pilot testing the theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) as part of the process evaluation. Five men were interviewed about their experiences with the Headstrong program to learn about the acceptability of the program. The TFA was used as the deductive coding scheme and consists of seven constructs including affective attitude, burden, intervention coherence, ethicality, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy. Three constructs, affective attitude, perceived effectiveness, and intervention coherence, from the TFA were coded in all five transcripts. The most frequently coded constructs were affective attitude and perceived effectiveness, coded 19 and 17 times, respectively. Interviewees all reported good relationships with their pharmacists, which influenced their willingness, attitude, and low burden for participation in Headstrong. Each of the men expressed comments reflecting anticipated effectiveness of the program outside of their own experience and how it could impact other men. Use of the TFA as part of a process evaluation of men’s experiences in a men’s mental health program was useful in identifying men’s perceptions of the program’s acceptability. Further research regarding how the quality of existing relationships with clinicians and patients impacts the TFA constructs of affective attitudes, perceived effectiveness, and burden would be useful.

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