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 factorswhich influence program effectiveness remain unclear. The aim of this mixed-methods study wasto assess how community resilience affected the implementation of a mental health promotionprogram in rural Tasmania, Australia. Four study communities were selected based on populationsize, rurality, access to local support services, history of suicide within the community, and maturityof the mental health promotion program. Data from self-report questionnaires (n = 245), includingitems of Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) assessment, and qualitative (focusgroup and interview) data from key local stakeholders (n = 24), were pooled to explore the factorsperceived to be influencing program implementation. Survey results indicate the primarycommunity resilience strengths across the four sites were related to the ‘Connection and Caring’domain. The primary community resilience challenges related to resources. Qualitative findingssuggested lack of communication and leadership are key barriers to effective program delivery andidentified a need to provide ongoing support for program staff. Assessment of perceivedcommunity resilience may be helpful in informing the implementation of mental health promotionprograms in rural areas and, in turn, improve the likelihood of their success and sustainability