Co-Priority Survey Launch: Doing Mental Health & Wellbeing Research with Rural Communities

How do you think research about mental health and wellbeing in rural areas should be done? What should the priorities be? How should communities be involved in this process? And what would make it feel fair, meaningful and relevant? 

To answer these questions a survey has been launched by Science Ceilidh. The survey has been co-designed by a group of community members with a range of lived experiences, including those with no previous involvement in research, alongside practitioners and academic researchers at the University of the Highlands & Islands.

The aim of the survey is to find out how people living in rural areas would like to see research about mental health & wellbeing done in the future, and explore ways in which communities might want to be involved in those research processes themselves. 

Lauren Pyott, Community Knowledge Matters network coordinator said:

"We believe that anyone can do research, not just academics or those who work in universities, and that those who are most affected by the subject matter being researched – in this case mental health & wellbeing in rural areas – should be able to help shape what that research looks like". 

If you are aged 16 or over and currently live (or have recently lived) in rural Scotland, you are invited to complete this survey. This includes people living in small towns or rural areas of mainland Scotland or the Scottish islands. The survey does not ask any questions about peoples’ own mental health or wellbeing and is likely to take about 30 minutes to complete.

The collaborative research team is keen to make this as accessible as possible. You can find out more about the survey in Gàidhlig, watch a short video about the survey and how to fill it out on the Community Knowledge Matters website via the QR code above. If it would be helpful to have any of this information in another language or format, including the survey questions themselves, please send an email to research@scienceceilidh.com.

Remi Martin (Co-Founder of African, Caribbean, Asian & Mixed Heritage Association) added: 

"It was really important Science Ceilidh, as community members, to not only take part in the research project but to be able to shape the research questions themselves, so that they could be relevant to the issues that actually affect us when it comes to researching mental health in our communities".

Surveys should be completed by 17th June. All respondents have the opportunity to be included in a free prize draw for the chance of winning one of six £50 local shopping vouchers.
Note for Editors:

The survey is hosted in partnership between the University of the Highlands & Islands and  Community Knowledge Matters, a network for Community-Led Research across the Highlands & Islands which is funded by The Ideas Fund. 

Community Knowledge Matters is a new network bringing together people interested in community-led research shaping practice & policy change in mental health and wellbeing in the Highlands & Islands and beyond. They are also hosting an in-person gathering in Inverness on 10th June 2024, bringing together network members and others interested in thinking about how we can make community-led research more equitable. To sign up and attend in person or online, please visit their website.