Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind 2020 - New SAHMRI tool helping to make sure South Australians are ok
Are you ok? Today, South Australians are being given access to a new real-time online portal to help them get a check on their stress, anxiety, wellbeing and resilience.
SA News
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A real-time wellbeing tracker that’s showing stress and life satisfaction levels are improving post-COVID – but are yet to return to last year’s levels – is being publicly released on Sunday for every South Australian to check-in on their mental health.
The tool coincides with the launch of a new Sunday Mail/ Advertiser campaign - Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind 2020, which aims to encourage conversations about mental health and driive change in the treatment of mental illness.
The SAHMRI program will be the first of its kind in Australia offered to an entire population to measure individual wellbeing, resilience, anxiety, stress, negative mood and health.
The scientists behind online the tracker want every South Australian to take the confidential, self assessment annually during Mental Health Week in October to help researchers and governments develop real-time reactive and preventive policies based on data.
“We are really excited about sharing this tool with all South Australians,” said Matthew Iasiello, Wellbeing and Resilience Centre researcher at the SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
“It is the next step to raising awareness of the importance of wellbeing and its impact on mental health.
“Now more than ever it’s really important that we do monitor our wellbeing and better our understanding that mental health, collectively, may have taken a hit post-COVID,” he said.
“We spend a great deal of time – often daily – tracking things like our bank account balance, our social media accounts, and news alerts.
“But how often do we tap into how we’re tracking mentally? It’s so important that we do that regularly.”
The centre has been using the tool to run monthly surveys of 4000 respondents since June last year.
Latest average results for September show:
SOUTH Australians are becoming less stressed and happier as we move further away from lockdown.
BUT we are yet to reach the same levels measured this time last year:
STRESS levels in April 2020 were 7.2/10. In September 2020 these haddropped to 6.8. But in Sept 2019 they were 6.0
LIFE satisfaction levels in April 2020 were 6/10, in Sept 2020 this had improved to 6.5, which was only marginally below the September 2019 reading of 6.7
SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre research lead Joep van Agteren said the Be Well Tracker assessment tool is based on six core indicators of mental health and wellbeing that have been scientifically validated through years of research.
“We are quite happy to visit our GP for an annual physical check over, so we should also make sure we have a routine mental health check-in too,” he said.
Within seconds of taking the online Be Well Tracker, a report feeds back scores with immediate access to tips and resources for improvement. Scores run from 0 to 10 and rate a number of aspects of mental health, including quality of nutrition, sense of life meaning, resilience, burnout levels and more.
While there are other organisations in SA measuring indicators of mental health and wellbeing, none yet provide individualised reports to participants.
To register for the free Be Well Tracker, visit the Be Well Tracker website.