Local Community Mobilisation and Mental Health Promotion

Abstract

The study is based on a mental health promotion project in seven local communities in North Norway. The point of departure is the concept of socio-cultural integration and its relation to mental health. Two cross-sectional surveys of the total population 18 years and older were carried out with an eight years' interval. Mental health, social support and local community integration were measured at both points in time. The most disintegrated community at T1, Heather (n=78), which also expressed low mental health, is compared with the pooled sample of the other six communities (n=1088). In the intervening period community development around a home for the elderly took place in Heather, whereas no organised efforts were carried out in the other six after the first three-year project period. At T2, Heather (n=55), had a positive development, both with regard to mental health and the dimension of local community integration. At T2, Heather, the former disintegrated community, is close to the rest of the communities (n=826). The improvement in mental health is linked to an increasing level of socio-cultural integration in this community.

Keywords:

• mental health promotion
• socio-cultural disintegration
• local community
• social support
• follow-up
• survey
• well-being
• nervous symptoms