Does social media usage ameliorate loneliness in rural youth? A cross sectional pilot study.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between social media use and loneliness and psychological wellbeing of youth in rural New South Wales.

Design: This was a web-based cross-sectional survey.

Methods: The survey consisted of 33 items including demography (12 items), participants' social media use (9 items), mood and anxiety (6 items), perceived loneliness (6 items), the impact of COVID-19 on social media usage or perceived loneliness (2 items).

Impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle and mental wellbeing in a drought-affected rural Australian population.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented social and economic disruption, accompanied by the enactment of a multitude of public health measures to restrain disease transmission. These public health and social measures have had a considerable impact on lifestyle and mental wellbeing, which has been well studied with metropolitan populations. However, limited literature concerning such effects on a selectively rural population is presently available.

Staff perceptions of the management of mental health presentations to the emergency department of a rural Australian hospital: qualitative study.

Introduction: Current research demonstrates higher prevalence of mental health related emergency department (ED) presentations in rural areas, despite similar overall prevalence of these conditions in rural and metropolitan contexts. This stems from shortages in availability of specialised mental health professionals, greater stigma against mental illness, greater socioeconomic disadvantages, and access to means of self-harm in rural regions. Little is known, however, about the specific characteristics of mental health presentations to rural emergency departments (EDs) in Australia.

Interprofessional education in the rural environment to enhance multidisciplinary care in future practice: Breaking down silos in tertiary health education.

Objective: Western Sydney University has implemented a rural interprofessional learning programme to promote collaborative care approaches to enhance cross-discipline communications, improve knowledge and clarity of roles and improve patient care and outcomes.

Design: Rural interprofessinal learning is an interprofessional educational approach, consisting of simulations of complex health events. Simulation methodology frames the study with a focus on human interaction.

Clinical psychology in general practice: a cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate whether a collaborative model of mental healthcare involving general practitioners and clinical psychologists benefits patients with common mental disorders in primary care.

Design And Participants: Cohort study of 276 general practice patients with mental health problems receiving collaborative treatment from clinical psychologists and GPs compared with a normative sample of 198 patients attending the same general practice surgeries.

Setting: Nine general practices in three regional cities (Bathurst, Armidale and Ballarat) and two single-doctor practices in two rural and remote townships (Rylstone and Trundle).