Rural Outreach Mental Health and Resilience
Rural Outreach Mental Health and Resilience (ROMHAR)
News
ROMHAR at the Markets Sunday 10th March, 2013
The ROMHAR Team have been getting out and about recruiting participants and recently setup an information table at the “Day on the Green” Sunday Markets.
ROMHAR Study
The UNE ROMHAR (Rural Outreach Mental Health and Resilience) Study has recently visited two Armidale businesses and participants have shown their support from the Ascent Group and the New England Mutual Office. Emmanuel Jesulola taking blood at the New England Mutual Offices
The ROMHAR Team will be visiting the Council Offices on Wednesday 27th March to collect samples and take bloods. If you would like to participate, please call Kerri on 6773 3700.
Invitation to participate in the Rural Outreach Mental Health & Resilience (ROMHAR) study conducted by the University of New England.
The incidence of depression is higher in rural communities than in urban settings, and less than half as many of the people from rural communities who report a mental health disorder seek help for it compared to their peers in urban settings. The suicide rate in rural communities in Australia is also higher than for urban areas.
However, despite the relatively poorer mental health in rural and regional communities, no comprehensive and representative data are currently available regarding the associations between various demographic, health and biomedical predictors of mental heath in rural and regional Australia. To address that issue, the Rural Outreach Mental Health & Resilience (ROMHAR) Study has been developed by the University of New England.
The ROMHAR study will use an interdisciplinary model to collect data from four sites throughout Australia, and will include a wide range of biological and psychological variables that have been linked with mental health.
As a member of the New England community, you are invited to participate in the ROMHAR study. Please note that the study needs participants who have no mental health problems as well as those who face challenges in that area. Therefore, your participation is both welcome and vital to the success of ROMHAR.
If you participate, you will be asked to (i) fill out a questionnaire, (ii) give a sample of mouthwash and a saliva sample, and (if you agree) a small sample of your blood.
Thank you for considering this study. Your participation is very important to its success.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Chris Sharpley Associate Professor Myfanwy Maple
Collaborative Research Network for Mental Health and Well-being in Rural & Regional areas.
Contact email: ROMHAR@une.edu.au Phone: 02 6773 3700