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Purpose: To investigate the association between unintentional injury and mental health in Australian rural communities. Methods: Using cross-sectional baseline data for a longitudinal study from randomly selected adults in nonmetropolitan Australia, we fitted logistic regression models for the outcomes of domestic or public setting injury and injury in high-risk settings, using prior depression and demographic factors. OR and 99% CI were reported and also calculated for current mental health including psychological distress, depressive symptoms and risky alcohol consumption, comparing those injured with those not. Findings: Of 2,639 participants who completed the injury component, 364 (13.8%) reported injury requiring treatment from a doctor or a hospitalization in the previous 12 months. Of those requiring treatment or hospitalization, 147 (40.4%) reported being injured in a domestic or public setting and 207 (56.9%) in a high-risk setting. The most common types and mechanisms of injury were sprains and strains, and falls, trips and slips, respectively. Preinjury depression was independently associated with unintentional injury in a domestic or public setting. Being injured in this setting was associated with double the odds of experiencing current depressive symptoms. The likelihood of a high-risk setting injury was significantly associated with male gender. High-risk setting injury was associated with current psychological distress and higher levels of alcohol usage. Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that pre-existing depression is associated with unintentional injury in a rural sample and indicates the important role of prior depression in management of injury, given the high rate of injury in rural communities. Mechanisms by which prior depression increases likelihood of unintentional injury will be further investigated using longitudinal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research regarding psychological distress has often underestimated the importance of contextual social factors. This research aims to investigate patterns of psychological distress within the family system (parent dyads) across rural and remote communities and the influence of remoteness on such distress. Self-report survey data from the Australian Rural Mental Health Study was used to examine the distress levels of cohabitating parental figures in rural and remote Australia. The survey was conducted across rural and remote communities within New South Wales. The sample consisted of 129 adult couples (mean age = 42.66 years, SD = 8.11), 43 from Inner Regional areas, 48 from Outer Regional areas, 24 from Remote areas and 14 from Very Remote areas. Distress levels (Kessler-10). A significant association was detected between the levels of psychological distress among parents within a household. The strength of this relationship increased with increasing remoteness of residence. Identifying the influence of spousal factors on mental health in rural and remote areas allows health services in such regions to be aware of the needs of rural couples and families. These results support the need to consider partner/spouse mental health in clinical assessment and support the importance of household factors especially in remote communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper outlines the methods and baseline data from a multisite cohort study of the determinants and outcomes of mental health and well-being within rural and remote communities. Methods: A stratified random sample of adults was drawn in non-metropolitan New South Wales using the Australian Electoral Roll, with the aim of recruiting all adult members of each household. Surveys assessed psychological symptoms, physical health and mental disorders, along with individual-, family/household- and community-level characteristics. A stratified subsample completed a telephone-administered World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (World Mental Health-3.0). Proxy measures of child health and well-being were obtained. Follow up of this sample will be undertaken at one, three and five years. Results: A total of 2639 individuals were recruited (1879 households), with 28% from remote/very remote regions. A significant relationship was found between recent distress (Kessler-10 scores), age and remoteness, with a linear reduction of Kessler-10 scores with age and the lowest mean scores in remote regions. Conclusions: Existing rurality categories cannot address the diverse socio-cultural, economic and environmental characteristics of non-metropolitan regions. While it has limitations, the dataset will enable a fine-grained examination of geographic, household and community factors and provide a unique longitudinal dataset over a five-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]