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? 

This survey was 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. You can find out more about the working group and the collaborative process of designing this survey in the link below.

The survey has now closed and the working group will begin co-analysing the findings together. The aggregated (anonymous) findings will be made available through this website at a later point for others to use for their own research.

The findings will be used to inform Community Knowledge Matters network activities, advocate for fairer community-led research in rural areas amongst policy makers, funders and researchers, and will contribute to an international position paper on the ethics of rural mental health research.

If you would like to find out more about the process or sign up to the survey mailing list to stay informed, please email the Community Knowledge Matters network coordinator Lauren.

About this survey

We believe that anyone can do research, it doesn’t only need to be carried out in universities or by academics. 

You can find out more about what we mean by ‘research’, and how we hope this survey might change what this looks like in the future, through the link below. 

We decided to put together a survey to find out how you might like to engage with future mental health research in a rural context, so that it can feel fair, meaningful and relevant to your priorities.

We feel strongly that working with communities through all stages of research is essential for it to be significant and for the research to aim for tangible outcomes. This can include leading on setting the research questions and priorities around what should be researched; designing the research project itself; carrying out the research; analysing the findings and using it to create lasting change.

For example, not only have the questions in this survey been collaboratively set, the responses will also be analysed by the community members alongside the academic researchers, to make sure that the conclusions being made from the results are understood and relatable to rural communities.

The collaborative research team will then write up a paper together and the anonymised findings will be shared on the Community Knowledge Matters website. This will mean that the conclusions from the survey responses can also be shared with policy-makers, funders, researchers and health & social care professionals who may want to engage with rural communities about mental health in the future. As a result, we hope this will ensure that your feedback on how you would prefer to engage with research can be better taken into consideration. 

Ultimately we want to challenge what research around mental health and wellbeing looks like so that it can be more inclusive and accessible to those who are most affected by it.

So who are we looking for?

who can fill out this survey?

All are welcome to fill in this survey no matter their heritage, ethnic origin, culture, age, ability, gender or sexuality, and we are particularly keen to hear from people who may not have been involved in research like this before for any reason. 

We’re also keen to hear from you whether you have lived in a rural area of Scotland for a month, a year or your entire life, as your lived experiences and thoughts about rural mental health research are significant and valuable. 

You may also wonder whether this survey applies to you based on your experience of mental health. We all experience good and bad mental health and so we’re keen to hear from you whether you consider yourself to have a mental health diagnosis or not. 

You can find out what we mean by mental health & mental wellbeing, via the link below. 

How to fill out this survey 

There will be a variety of question types including multiple choice, free text, and sliding scales. This could take around 30 minutes of your time. 

Anyone who completes the survey will have the option to be entered into a draw for the chance of winning one of six £50 local shopping vouchers.

Answers will be anonymised and any personal information given in responses will be taken out before being shared more widely. Incomplete surveys will not be included, so if you decide not to finish it we will assume you do not want to be included in the research findings.

You will be able to save the survey and come back to it, or go back and change previous answers before you submit. 

What happens next? 

After this survey closes, there may be other ways to get involved in this research. 

To receive updates about the research project, be sent a report of the findings, hear of future opportunities to get involved or to speak to the team more about your answers, you can sign up to the specific survey mailing list at the end of this survey or to the Community Knowledge Matters network mailing list. If you wish to be considered for a prize draw for one of six £50 local shopping vouchers, please also fill in your email address at the end of the survey. You do not need to sign up to either of the mailing lists to enter into the prize draw and email addresses will be stored separately and securely.

The responses to this survey will be shared as open source data to help shape future research priorities, and to also help direct support and training made available through the Community Knowledge Matters network. 

Ultimately, we hope that by taking the time to complete this survey, you can help future generations feel more heard, validated and supported when they come to navigate their own mental health, or get involved in research which seeks to improve mental health in rural areas.

Thanks for your interest.