ABSTRACT

The owners and workers of farm businesses experience a unique and high level of uncertainty in terms of weather, finances, business structure, legalities, and social changes. These careers also include physical demands, irregular work schedules, and seasonal labor pressures. Stress often occurs at low but measurable chronic levels within the business. Stress can peak during crisis situations such as financial downturns that have impact on individuals, families, and business operations.

Ohio research identifies two schools of thought regarding farm family stress. One holds that farmers are less stressed than other workers because of the idyllic pastoral setting in which they work. A second cites numerous stressors that are unique to the farm environment (e.g., adverse economic conditions and unpredictable weather) and claims that farming is a stressful occupation. The Ohio Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Project (OFFHHS), a survey of 4,860 cash grain farms in Ohio, provides an opportunity to make this comparison, and to study the correlates of stress and depression among farmers.

The signs of stress, including the physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms will be presented. Additionally, healthy coping mechanisms for addressing stress will be discussed. Learning objectives of the poster and available curriculum are: to increase awareness of stress and the impact on mental health of farm families, to provide available mental health resources for farm and horticulture businesses, to provide strategies to reduce stress among farm families, and to use case

studies and/or session activities to demonstrate ways to recognize farm and business stress.

The Consequences of Farm Stress; Crisis and Chronic ResourcesClevenger1, W.B., Bruynis2, C.L., Jepsen3, S.D.

1Ohio State University Extension, Defiance County, Defiance, Ohio; 2Ohio State University Extension, Wyandot County, Upper Sandusky, OH; 3Ohio State University, CFAES, Food, Ag, and Biological Engineering

HOW ARE THEY IMPACTED BY FARM STRESS?

WHO IS EFFECTED BY FARM STRESS?

Individuals

Children

Communities

Families Farm Stress

Impact on Individuals•Farmers will be at increased risk for farm accidents and injury. Geller, The Journal of Rural Health

•Impact on Families•Farm and farm families will experience increased inter-generational conflict. Anderson, Journal of Rural Community Psychology

•Farm marriages will be affected with an increase in thoughts of divorce. Johnson, Family Relations

•Impact on Children•Farm crisis effect spouses, but also have poorer parent-child relations. Ge, X. Journal of Research on Adolescence

•Stress results in poor parenting practices & increased risk for adolescent depression. Ge, X. Journal of Health and Social Behavior

•Impact on Communities•In some cases, depression will be contagious affecting entire communities. O’Brien, Rural Sociology

•Increased levels of conduct problems among adolescents. Simons, American Journal of Community Psychology

Recognize Stress of Farm Life

•Physical Reactions

•Changes in sleep patterns & appetite, headaches, fatigue, stomach discomfort, elevated blood pressure & heart rate, feeling “wired”

•Cognitive Reactions

•Lack of concentration, recurrent intrusive thoughts, memory problems, decreased problem-solving ability, nightmares, unproductive worry

•Emotional Reactions

•Shock and numbness, fear and anxiety, depression, anger and irritability, guilt, shame, doubt, pessimism, Loss of trust and control

•Behavioral Reactions

•Preoccupation with the news stories, bank statements, rumors, decline in work performance, increased substance abuse or other unhealthy habits, increased conflict with family or coworkers

For further information: clevenger.10@osu.edu

REFERENCES

M.B. Elliott, C.A. Heaney, J.R. Wilkins III, G.L. Wilkins and T.L. Bean. 1995. Perceived Stress and Depression Among Cash Grain Farmers in Ohio, Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health 1(3):177-184.T. L. Bean and J.A. Nolan. 2008. Recognize and Manage the Stress of Farm Life, OSU Extension Factsheet, AEX 693, http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/pdf/0693.pdfP.G. Beeson. 1999. Farm Crisis, A special issue of the Winter 1999 Party-Line. http://www.narmh.org/publications/archives/Farm_Crisis.pdfR.T. Williams. 2010. Farming through Difficult Times. Various articles. http://fyi.uwex.edu/farmfinances/

Conclusions

Don’t think that farm stress is something yet to come. Dairy farmers and independent swine farmers are already facing significant financial stress. Experts expect that grain producers will be faced with financial stress in the near future if not already. It is human nature to believe that the stress is the result of someone else's doing. Agriculture has experience farm crisis before…human nature has not changed. Dealing with significant emotional trauma is something best managed by trained counselors. The best approach is to reduce the stigma of getting help and directing clientele that need assistance to appropriate providers. Mental Health Resources

Perceived Stress and Depression Among Cash Grain Farmers in Ohio(4,860 cash grain farms in 2002)

Measured Two Schools of Thought

1. Farms have less stress due to idyllic workplace? 2. Farms have numerous stressors unique to farming

Age adjusted results indicate that the farmers were statistically significantly more stressed and more depressed than a national sample of employed, non-disabled males. Preliminary results on the correlates of farm stress indicated that age was inversely related to stress. Principal operators with large farms and low earnings

reported higher levels of stress than those with small farms and low earnings. Surprisingly, farmers who worked full time on the farm and also held down an additional full-time job scored lower on the stress measure than those full-time farmers who worked off farm only part-time or not at all. Significant correlates of depression included education and age, each being inversely related to depression. Principal operators of large farms who had low earnings scored higher on the

depression scale than operators of small farms with low earnings. Lower depression scores were related to working more hours off of the farm.

Stress Level

Younger Farmers

Older Farmers

Stress Level

Lg Farms: Low Income

Sm Farms: Low Income

Stress Level

Full-time Farmer: no off-farm job

Full-time Farmer: plus off-farm job

The Human Reaction to Farm Stress

Farmers will increasingly believe that outside forces, rather than their own actions, will determine their fate. Kettner, Great Plains Sociologist

The general public will not care what’s happening to farmers and rural residents. Lyson, Rural Sociology

Persons in farm households will not use the social support networks available to them as effectively as the people in towns to lessen the psychological consequences of economic distress. Ortega, International Sociological Association

Rural men will be less likely than rural women to use mental health services and this “gender gap” will be greater than for their urban counterparts. Larson, University of Nebraska Medical Center