The Consequences of Farm Stress; Crisis and Chronic Resources
Clevenger1, 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
ABSTRACT
WHO IS EFFECTED BY FARM STRESS?
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.
Individuals
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.
Families
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.
Recognize Stress of Farm Life
Farm Stress
Children
Communities
HOW ARE THEY IMPACTED BY FARM STRESS?
•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
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
Perceived Stress and Depression Among Cash Grain Farmers in Ohio
The Human Reaction to Farm Stress
(4,860 cash grain farms in 2002)
Farmers will increasingly believe that outside forces, rather than their
own actions, will determine their fate. Kettner, Great Plains Sociologist
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.
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
Stress
Level
Stress
Level
Younger
Farmers
Mental Health Resources
Older
Farmers
Stress
Level
Lg Farms:
Low Income
Sm Farms:
Low Income
Conclusions
Full-time
Farmer: plus
off-farm job
Full-time
Farmer: no
off-farm job
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.
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.pdf
P.G. Beeson. 1999. Farm Crisis, A special issue of the Winter 1999 Party-Line.
http://www.narmh.org/publications/archives/Farm_Crisis.pdf
R.T. Williams. 2010. Farming through Difficult Times. Various articles.
http://fyi.uwex.edu/farmfinances/
For further information: clevenger.10@osu.edu