Table 1 Characteristics of Australian Rural Mental Health Study (ARMHS) participants at 3-year follow-up

Socio-demographic variables:

Age (mean, SD)

58.87 (13.27)

60.70 (12.95)

53.54 (13.12)

55.85 (13.10)

55.87 (12.12)

**

.243

Gender: female (n,%)

753 (61)

494 (59)

80 (56)

119 (68)

60 (80)

.024

**

Education: high school or above (n,%)

857 (70)

559 (67)

108 (76)

138 (78)

52 (69)

.002*

.309

Marital status: married/defacto (n,%)

950 (77)

679 (81)

103 (72)

126 (72)

42 (56)

**

.029

Remoteness (ASGC) category: remote/very remote (n,%)

268 (22)

185 (22)

26 (18)

41 (23)

16 (21)

.681

.537

Financial position: Just getting along to very poor (n,%)

362 (29)

224 (27)

43 (30)

56 (32)

39 (52)

.003*

.003*

Potential facilitators/barriers:

Employed or volunteer work (n,%)

700 (57)

446 (53)

109 (76)

104 (59)

41 (55)

**

**

Children in house (n,%)

309 (25)

183 (22)

51 (36)

53 (30)

22 (29)

**

.493

Caring for family member/friend (n,%)

129 (11)

83 (9.9)

12 (8.4)

22 (13)

12 (16)

.347

.226

Predicted Service Need Index (mean, SD)

1.73 (2.53)

0.89 (1.54)

3.01 (2.86)

3.35 (3.11)

4.81 (3.76)

**

**

Suicidal ideation-last two-weeks (n,%)

44 (3.6)

9 (1.1)

7 (4.9)

16 (9.1)

12 (16)

**

.023

Easy access to internet (n,%)

941 (76)

628 (75)

116 (81)

144 (82)

53 (71)

.089

.111

Would use internet for MH treatment/information (n,%)

372 (30)

175 (21)

62 (43)

100 (57)

35 (47)

**

.047