The Van Trump Report

Farm Life Takes Mental Toll on Both Men and Women

While most farmers wouldn’t give up their lifestyle for any amount of money in the world, their chosen occupation often puts them under higher levels of stress than other professions. Sadly, farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association.  Interestingly, a new study from the University of Illinois finds that male and female farmers experience stress differently.

Overall, the survey found no significant differences by gender in the proportion of farmers meeting the criteria for depression or anxiety, although the results are higher than what is observed in the general population. Among those farmers who experience higher levels of stress about geographic isolation, the odds for women farmers to experience depressive symptoms are four times more than men.

The authors note that some have attributed high levels of stress among farm women to high workloads and role conflict. North Carolina farm describe stressors including the inability to mentally and physically separate from the farm due to non-stop demands and financial constraints. Farm women also communicated that they experienced some isolation in their community, as they felt misunderstood by non-farm people but also by agricultural-related organizations and commodity groups.

The most common stressors among both women and men farmers are personal finances, time pressures, and economic conditions. A higher proportion of women reported high levels of stress around geographic isolation and interpersonal relationships, however, the differences were not significant. Men reported significantly more stress around climate conditions and economic conditions than women. For hazardous working conditions, more men reported a higher proportion of medium levels of stress, and slightly more women reported a higher proportion of high levels of stress.

According to the study authors, 34.0% of respondents met the criteria for at least mild anxiety disorder or probable generalized anxiety disorder. Of those, 22.6% met the criteria for mild anxiety disorder, 6.8% met the criteria for moderate, and 4.5% met the criteria for severe, based on symptoms. Similarly,
26.3% of respondents met the criteria for at least mild symptoms of depression, or probable depression. Of those, 15.9% met the criteria for mild depression, 6.4% met the criteria for moderate, 2.5% met the criteria for moderately severe, and 1.5% met the criteria for severe depression, based on reported symptoms. A higher proportion of women than men met the criteria for severe anxiety and moderately severe and severe depression.

Regardless of health status, over 65% of men and women farmers report receiving high social support from family, and over 60% report high social support from friends (Table 5). Men farmers were significantly more likely to report high social support from a significant other than women farmers, 73.5% compared to 57.4%, respectively. The full report is HERE.

The agriculture community has responded to the mental health crisis impacting farmers with multiple outreach and assistance programs. If you or someone you know needs help, you can find resources at the National Farmers Union’s Farm Crisis Center and American Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm State of Mind website, which features a directory of rural mental health resources in every U.S. state and Puerto Rico.

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