Agriculture is a stressful profession, and farmers suffer from higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. A new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign examines differences in mental health problems among male and female farmers, focusing on the role of social support in reducing stress.
“We were interested in understanding depression and anxiety among farmers in Illinois, and we wanted to look at social support and location, especially gender. When we think about mental health and agriculture, we We also wanted to think about the person. “In the broader context of what they’re feeling stressed about, what are the supports and coping mechanisms that people might have?” Our findings shed light on some of the complexities in these relationships,” said study co-author and Illinois Extension Specialist Courtney Cuthbertson. Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, part of the Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences.
The researchers surveyed 536 Illinois farmers (about 70% men and 30% women) who were the primary owners of their farming operations. Participants answered questions about agricultural stress, mental health, social support, and resilience, as well as demographic and farm characteristics.
They found that 34% of respondents met criteria for at least mild anxiety disorder and 26% met criteria for symptoms of at least mild depression, compared to 18-19% in the general population. It turned out. Overall results were similar for male and female farmers, but men were more likely to report mild symptoms, whereas women were more likely to experience severe anxiety and depression. It was.
For both men and women, personal finances, time pressure, and financial situation were the most common stressors. However, interpersonal relationships caused higher stress levels for women than for men.
Women were four times more likely than men to experience depression due to geographic isolation. Among farmers who reported low family support, women were 12 times more likely to have symptoms of depression and eight times more likely to have symptoms of anxiety than men.
We also found that social support differs between men and women. This is because male farmers were significantly more likely to report high social support from their romantic partners than the women in our sample. ”
Josie Rudolphi, first author, Illinois Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), ACES University and Granger Institute of Technology
This is consistent with the broader population literature. Women are often expected to do housework and care work in addition to farm work, making them more susceptible to negative events that happen to their friends and family, the researchers said.
“Although we do not know the dynamic composition of partners in our sample, our findings indicate that there are gender-specific expectations about who provides social support. , they don’t seem to be getting that kind of support from their partners that men report getting,” Rudolfi said.
The combination of low social support and high levels of stress due to geographic isolation can pose challenges to female farmers’ mental health, the researchers said.
“This highlights the need for continued support in rural rural areas where mental health services are limited. Providing services and resources that increase perceived social support among women farmers. This has the potential to improve mental health outcomes for women farmers,” concluded Rudolfi.
Rudolfi and Cuthbertson are the founders of North Central Farm and Ranch, a collaboration of 12 states and 15 partners based in Extension, Illinois, that provides stress management and mental health interventions to farmers and farm workers in the Midwest. I am co-director of the Stress Assistance Center. This center is supported by the USDA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network.
sauce:
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES)
Reference magazines:
Rudolfi, J.M., et al. (2024). A comparison of agriculture-related stress, mental health, and social support among male and female farmers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060684.
