Stress, anxiety, depression, and resilience in Canadian farmers

Abstract

Purpose To estimate the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression, and resilience amongst Canadian farmers. Methods An online cross-sectional survey using validated psychometric scales [Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale] conducted with farmers in Canada between September 2015 and February 2016. Results 1132 farmers participated in the study. The average PSS score was 18.9. Approximately 57% and 33% of participants were classified as possible and probable cases for anxiety, respectively; the respective proportions for depression were 34% and 15%. The average resilience score was 71.1. Scores for stress, anxiety, and depression were higher, and resilience lower, than reported normative data. Females scored less favorably on all mental health outcomes studied, highlighting important gender disparities. Conclusions These results highlight a significant public health concern amongst farmers, and illustrate a critical need for research and interventions related to farmer mental health. These findings are important for policymakers, physicians, and public and mental health service providers, and can help to inform decision-making, policy recommendations, resource allocation, and development and delivery of training programs for farmers.

Highs and Lows of Lambing Time: Sheep Farmers’ Perceptions of the First Outbreak of Schmallenberg Disease in South West England on Their Well-Being

“…Whilst this research study is relatively small in scale, some familiar themes of stress, anxiety, depression and psychological distress are highlighted here, which concur with One Welfare concerns for farmer mental health identified by larger studies of livestock farmers using validated psychometric scale testing [2,34].…”

“…Our findings add to earlier epidemiological surveys examining the impact of SBV on the 2011/2012 [21] and 2016/2017 lambing periods in farms within Great Britain [35], which identified that many farmers scored Schmallenberg disease as having a high emotional impact. However, half of these participants also described features of resilience, such as the ability to 'thrive in the face of adversity' [2]. In spite of the challenges, half of these participants expressed gratitude for their situations and empathy for others.…”

Cognitive Reappraisal and the Association Between Perceived Stress and Anxiety Symptoms in COVID-19 Isolated People

“…If the stress cannot be resolved for a long time, the anxiety will change into an anxiety state for a certain period of time and reach the relevant anxiety symptom standard. A lot of researches have shown the close relationship between anxiety and perceived stress, and both acute and chronic stress exposure could lead to anxiety disorders ( 7 – 9 ).…”

Farmer Burnout in Canada

“…Between September 2015 and February 2016, a national cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted on farmer mental health in Canada; details on the study have been reported elsewhere [4]. Included in the questionnaire was the MBI-GS.…”

“…Farmers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, and Norway reportedly have increased risk of poor mental health outcomes, including high risk or levels of depression [1][2][3][4], anxiety [1,4], stress [4][5][6][7][8], psychological distress [4,9], and psychological morbidity [10]. Poor farmer mental health not only negatively affects the farmers themselves, but can also result in negative consequences for their families, farm productivity, and animal welfare [11][12][13].…”