Open Collections

UBC Faculty Research and Publications

What Is Rural Adversity, How Does It Affect Wellbeing and What Are the Implications for Action? Lawrence-Bourne, Joanne; Dalton, Hazel; Perkins, David; Farmer, Jane; Luscombe, Georgina; Oelke, Nelly; Bagheri, Nasser

Abstract

A growing body of literature recognises the profound impact of adversity on mental health outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas. With the cumulative effects of persistent drought, record-breaking bushfires, limited access to quality health services, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic and social challenges, there is much to understand about the impact of adversity on mental health and wellbeing in rural populations. In this conceptual paper, we aim to review and adapt our existing understanding of rural adversity. We undertook a wide-ranging review of the literature, sought insights from multiple disciplines and critically developed our findings with an expert disciplinary group from across Australia. We propose that rural adversity be understood using a rural ecosystem lens to develop greater clarity around the dimensions and experiences of adversity, and to help identify the opportunities for interventions. We put forward a dynamic conceptual model of the impact of rural adversity on mental health and wellbeing, and close with a discussion of the implications for policy and practice. Whilst this paper has been written from an Australian perspective, it has implications for rural communities internationally.

Item Metadata

Title
What Is Rural Adversity, How Does It Affect Wellbeing and What Are the Implications for Action?
Creator
Lawrence-Bourne, Joanne; Dalton, Hazel; Perkins, David; Farmer, Jane; Luscombe, Georgina; Oelke, Nelly; Bagheri, Nasser
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2020-10-01
Description
A growing body of literature recognises the profound impact of adversity on mental health outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas. With the cumulative effects of persistent drought, record-breaking bushfires, limited access to quality health services, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic and social challenges, there is much to understand about the impact of adversity on mental health and wellbeing in rural populations. In this conceptual paper, we aim to review and adapt our existing understanding of rural adversity. We undertook a wide-ranging review of the literature, sought insights from multiple disciplines and critically developed our findings with an expert disciplinary group from across Australia. We propose that rural adversity be understood using a rural ecosystem lens to develop greater clarity around the dimensions and experiences of adversity, and to help identify the opportunities for interventions. We put forward a dynamic conceptual model of the impact of rural adversity on mental health and wellbeing, and close with a discussion of the implications for policy and practice. Whilst this paper has been written from an Australian perspective, it has implications for rural communities internationally.
Subject
rural adversity; rural mental health; rural communities; community wellbeing; social determinants; rurality; intersectionality; rural theory
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2020-10-23
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0394797
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76350
Affiliation
Health and Social Development, Faculty of (Okanagan); Non UBC; Nursing, School of (Okanagan)
Citation
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (19): 7205 (2020)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/ijerph17197205
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

Item Media

Item Citations and Data

Rights

CC BY 4.0