16 The Business of Canadian Hog Farming Better Pork | December 2023 Agriculture is a stressful occupation, and farmers face substantial mental health challenges. Research indicates they often experience higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to the general population, but less is known about the effects on their families. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how economic stressors affect the mental health of U.S. farmers and their adolescent children. “There's a lot of young people growing up on a farm and participating in agricultural work. We've long acknowledged the inherent hazards of this work environment, and now we’re also recognizing its impact on mental health,” said Josie Rudolphi, Illinois extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering. “Most of the work on farm stress and mental health is primarily focused on adult farmers. However, it is important to recognize that children are fully aware of what’s happening on the farm, and they are not immune to the stressors that exist. That is the inspiration behind this project,” she added. Rudolphi and co-author Richard Berg, analyst at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, are reporting results from the first year of a five-year study funded by the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS). The researchers conducted online surveys with farmers and their adolescent children across the United States. They used the Family Stress Model, which was developed in Iowa in the 1990s after the farm crisis to examine the correlation between economic stressors and mental health in farmers. Rudolphi and Berg found that about 60 per cent of both adults and adolescents met the criteria for at least mild depression, while 55 per cent of the adults and 45 per cent of the adolescents met the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. “Prevalence of depression in the general population is typically around 17 to 18 per cent, so these numbers are quite high. Although we don't have a control group for direct comparison, we used similar instruments to screen for mental health conditions as national public health surveys. Additionally, these statistics are not unusually high for a farm sample, based on previous surveys with farmers,” Rudolphi said. When looking at economic hardship indicators, farm debt showed a high correlation with depressed mood in adults, and this in turn was correlated with adolescent depression and anxiety. “It’s not unexpected for children to be affected by the experiences of adults. In many other settings, adults can leave work, return home, and transition into their roles as parents. But in a farm environment, the boardroom table is the kitchen table, and there is talk about farm activity in the household. There’s a blur between work and Research MENTAL HEALTH IN FARM FAMILIES ‘In a farm environment, the boardroom table is the kitchen table.’ By Marianne Stein, University of Illinois The lines between home and work life are blurred on the farm. LivingImages/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo We appreciate all your comments, along with story ideas on issues you want to see us cover. Paul.Nolan@Farms.com HOW ARE WE DOING?
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