Farmer mental health worsened during COVID-19 pandemic

Canadian farmers have poorer mental health and more substance abuse than people in the general population and that hasn’t improved in the last five years, according to survey data recently released by researchers at the University of Guelph. 

Scores in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion and cynicism (two components of burnout), alcohol use and resilience were more severe among farmers compared to scale norms and general population data. 

Why it matters: Canadian farmers continue to suffer with anxiety, depression, stress, burnout and alcohol use more severely than the general population.

Andria Jones-Bitton, associate professor in the department of population medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, post-doctoral researcher Briana Hagen and master of science student Rochelle Thompson conducted a national survey of farmer mental health that reached 1,200 participants between February and May 2021. The timeline marked five years since their initial survey, which was the first of its kind.

Since the survey timing coincided with the second wave of the pandemic, the team expanded the scope to collect data on the impact of COVID-19’s social and economic factors in terms of mental health, help-seeking and sense of community.

[RELATED] National Farmers Mental Health Alliance seeks to support farmers, rural social support systems

Most farmers who had moderate to severe scores in anxiety, depression, perceived stress and burnout reported worsening symptoms since the pandemic began. The majority of farmers who reported moderate to severe or hazardous alcohol use said their consumption had increased significantly since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s a troubling situation,” says Jones-Bitton. “Farmers have long faced occupational stressors due to the weather, their workload and finances. The pandemic, however, added new stresses such as increased costs, reduced seasonal agricultural farm workers due to travel bans and farm processing backlogs due to workers and truck drivers being ill with COVID-19.”

The 2021 survey data indicates that farm women scored higher on measures of anxiety, depression, perceived stress and emotional exhaustion than farming men and Canadian women in general. While women also reported worse mental health in the 2016 survey, the difference between the genders has become more pronounced.

More than twice as many farming women reported seeking help for their mental health or substance use during the pandemic than men.

“Both women and men who farm scored worse than the general population but the women scored even worse,” says Hagen. “Given the role of women in farming, this data highlights a pretty serious problem that we have to start looking into.”

[RELATED] Mental health campaign encourages farmers to ask for help

While mental health awareness campaigns and literacy programs in agriculture have increased since the 2016 survey, lack of improvement in farmer mental health indicates the need for greater efforts and national interventions.

“Since we have been doing so much work talking about mental health, it’s possible that more farmers are now willing to identify that they have mental health struggles and take a survey about it,” Hagen says.

Researchers are now using survey findings to conduct follow-up research to learn more about what farmers are experiencing and what supports they need. It also equips them with the data required to apply for funding to develop larger programs.

“We’re really focusing on building farm-specific interventions, both for farmers and in terms of agriculture literacy for the people who provide mental health services,” says Hagen. She notes that therapists’ agriculture knowledge is key to getting farmers in for treatment.

Results from the second national survey are available in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.