University of Southern Queensland PhD candidate Caitlin Vayro is working with farmers, farmers’ partners and doctors to identify what aids and prevents Queensland farmers and their families from getting help to manage farming pressures.
Driven by a desire to foster resilience, influence policy and generate discussion regarding mental health in the bush, Caitlin’s research is focused on collecting responses from the farming community to her questions.
She is hoping to understand what factors make it easier or harder to seek help for stress and mental health.
Many of the farmers who spoke with Caitlin hailed from central and southern Queensland.
The majority were graziers involved in cattle and/or sheep production but there were also horticulture producers, grain growers and cotton growers. .
“While drought has loomed largest in many lives, family culture and issues, commodity prices, location, community and relationships can also influence whether farmers stay on top of things in tough times,” Caitlin said.
Under the supervision of USQ academics Dr Sonja March, Dr Michael Ireland and Dr Charlotte Brownlow from the Institute for Resilient Regions and the School of Psychology and Counselling, Caitlin will be interpreting and disseminating the study results in coming months.
Based on the answers to her questions, further research aims to create short, animated educational videos addressing some of the factors that prevent help being sought when times get tough.
“We hope this research will provide the building blocks for further research over coming years, and aims to supplement some of the great work being done in the bush by organisations like Beyond Blue, Mustering Wellness, Mates Who Open Gates and Tie Up the Black Dog.
Institute for Resilient Regions researchers Dr Aastha Malhotra and Professor Retha Wiesner are also working to improve outcomes in the bush, funded by the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation under the Advance Queensland program.
The project aims to increase the capability and capacity of migrant and refugee women’s start-up activity through digital inclusion.