Improving mental wellbeing and social inclusion

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The Victorian Government highlights mental health as an essential ingredient of individual and community wellbeing and points out that social isolation and loneliness can increase the risk of poor mental health.

Most adults (aged 18 and above) in Boroondara are satisfied with their life (Figure 1) but fewer than half have low levels of psychological distress (Figure 2) according to the 2023 Victorian Population Health Survey.

Bar chart showing that 55% of Boroondara residents rate their life satisfaction as 7 or 8 out of 10, and 27.7% rate it 9 or 10 out of 10. 16.3% rate it 0 to 6. Metropolitan Melbourne rates are slightly lower for high, and very high life satisfaction (7 or higher) and slightly higher for low or medium satisfaction (0 to 6).

Figure 1: Most Boroondara residents are highly satisfied with their life. Data source: Victorian Population Health Survey Dashboard, 2023.

Bar chart showing that 61.9% of Boroondara residents report low psychological distress, compared to 48.7% for metro Melbourne. Boroondara residents report 12.5% with high/very high psychological distress, and 22.7% with moderate. Metro Melbourne has higher rates of moderate and high/very high at 25.5% and 19.2% respectively.

Figure 2: Just over one in 10 Boroondara residents reported high or very high psychological distress. Data source: Unpublished 2023 Victorian Population Health Survey by the Victorian Agency for Health Information

In 2021, 3% of the 1,112 Boroondara children who commenced school had emotional or behavioural difficulties at the time (see School entrant health questionnaire on the Victorian Government website). This rate is considerably lower than the metropolitan Melbourne rate of 6.2%.

The 2021 Census was the first to measure long-term health conditions. It revealed striking differences in self-reported long-term mental health conditions by age group and sex (Figure 3).

The 2021 census showed that 7.1% of Boroondara resident have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have a mental health condition.

Bar chart showing the rate of self-reported (in the 2021 Census) diagnosed mental health conditions by age group and sex for the Boroondara population. Females had higher rates than males in all age groups aged 12+,and the highest rate was 15.4%, among females 18 to 34 years. The next highest rate is among females 85 and over. The lowest rate (<2%) is among males and females 0 to 11 years.

Figure 3: Self-reported rates of diagnosed long-term mental health conditions in Boroondara vary by age and sex. Data source: ABS Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census

Indicators of social inclusion

The Victorian Population Health Survey 2023 suggests that while most Boroondara residents feel valued and connect frequently with family and friends, some are more at risk of feeling isolated (Figures 4).

Bar chart showing that 50% of Boroondara residents report that they definitely feel valued by society. 39% sometimes do and 9% never or rarely do. 47.6% of metropolitan Melbourne residents definitely feel valued, 34.3% sometimes do and 14.7% never or rarely do.

Figure 4: Most Boroondara residents report that they definitely feel valued by society and just less than one in 10 never or rarely do. Data source: Victorian Population Health Survey Dashboard, 2023.

The World Health Organization has identified loneliness as a growing public health threat, with social isolation linked to mental illness, emotional distress, suicide, and other harmful health behaviours.

Column chart showing that 17.6% of Boroondara residents have experienced loneliness, and in comparison, 23.7% for metro Melbourne.

Figure 5: Just under one in 5 residents of Boroondara have experienced loneliness. Data source: Victorian Population Health Survey Dashboard, 2023