Use of social network analysis to describe service links for farmers' mental health.

OBJECTIVE

The primary mental health care needs of farmers require that service innovations incorporate rural support workers into a local service network. This component of the FarmLink pilot sought to develop a social network analysis method that would describe local mental health-related human service networks. The purpose is to inform improvements in this network and to serve as a baseline against which such improvements can be evaluated.

DESIGN

A pilot survey of rural human service providers who deal with mental health-related issues among farmers about their self-reported links between each other.

SETTING

Service delivery agencies associated with a small rural town in New South Wales.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-five agents from a range of human services involved in rural human support services to farmers, such as from agricultural and drought support, welfare, primary health care and education.

INTERVENTION: Telephone interview prior to the conduct of a Mental Health First Aid seminar and a Farmers Mental Health and Wellbeing workshop.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Agent self-reported service links over the past three months for information exchange, client referrals and working together in relation to helping farmers for mental health, emotional health or stress-related problems. Analysis trialled on the 'made referrals' link shows the network influence, prominence and intermediary status of the rural financial counsellor.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the limitations of recalled self-report data, social network analysis provides a useful network description for informing and evaluating service network improvements.