Farm Financial Stress
Recognition & Resources
Chris Bruynis and Bruce Clevenger
OSU Extension Educators, Ag & Natural Resources
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION
Session Objectives
• To increase awareness of stress
and the impact on mental health of
farm families
• To outline several strategies to
reduce financial stress
• To provide mental health resources
that are available to farm families
National Ag Safety Database
• Perceived Stress and Depression
Among Cash Grain Farmers in Ohio
(4,860 cash grain farms in 2002)
– Two schools of thought measured
• Less stress due to idyllic workplace
• Numerous stressors unique to farming
– Factors
•
•
•
•
Age and education
Full-time farm + full-time off farm
Full-time farm only
Farm size and level of earnings
Current Issues
• Depressed milk and pork prices
• Loss of off farm jobs due to
economic crises
• Increased energy and other input
costs
Warning Signs of Financial Stress
•
•
•
•
Physical Reactions
Cognitive Reactions
Emotional Reactions
Behavioral Reactions
Physical Reactions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Changes in sleep patterns
Changes in appetite
Headaches
Fatigue
Nausea and stomach discomfort
Elevated blood pressure & heart rate
Jumpiness or feeling “wired”
Cognitive Reactions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Difficulty with 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 status, role, security, trust
and control
Behavioral Reactions
• Preoccupation with the news stories,
bank statements, rumors, etc.
• Decline in work performance
• Increased substance abuse or other
unhealthy habits (e.g., gambling,
comfort eating)
• Increased conflict with family or
coworkers (argumentative, irritable,
needy, isolated, distant/detached)
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Consequences…
– Impact on Individuals
– Impact on Families
– Impact on Children
– Impact on Communities
– Reactions
– Coping
• The research is profoundly real
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Impact on Individuals
– Farmers will be at increased risk for
farm accidents and injury. Geller, The
Journal of Rural Health
– Farmers and rural residents will be at
increased risk for mental disorders,
especially depression, but…* Ortega,
Rural Sociology
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Impact on Families
– Farm and farm families will experience
increased inter-generational conflict.
Anderson, Journal of Rural Community Psychology
– The quality of farm marriages will be
affected with an increase in thoughts
of divorce. Johnson, Family Relations
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Impact on Children
– Parents suffering from depression related to
the farm crisis will not only have relationship
difficulties with their spouses, but also have
poorer parent-child relations. Ge, X. Journal of
Research on Adolescence
– Depression and stress related to the farm
crisis will result in poor parenting practices
and in turn produce increased risk for
adolescents internalizing disorders such as
depression. Ge, X. Journal of Health and Social
Behavior
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Impact on Communities
– In some cases, depression will be
contagious affecting entire
communities. O’Brien, Rural Sociology
– There will be increased community
disorganization which will result in
increased levels of conduct problems
among adolescents. Simons, American
Journal of Community Psychology
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Reactions
– 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
10 Reactions to Financial Stress
1. Living from one paycheck to the next
2. Being confused about financial
circumstances
3. Being in a constant financial crisis.
– bouncing checks
– making only the minimum payments
– using one credit card to pay another
4. Increased risk taking
– letting health and car insurance coverage
lapse because of the lack of money
5. Buying things compulsively
10 Reactions to Financial Stress
6. Spending lavishly on children because
they never had those things themselves
as a child.
7. Worrying constantly about bills.
8. Developing physical symptoms
9. Arguing frequently with partner about
money and spending.
10.Avoiding any discussion of finances
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Coping
– 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
Farm Financial Stress and
Mental Health
• Coping
– 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
Recognize and Manage the
Stress of Farm Life
• OSU Extension Factsheet AEX
693-08
• Common Stressful Situations
• People handle and express stress
in different ways
• Symptoms
– Physical
– Emotional
– Behavioral
But What if the Dragon Wins?
Mental Health Services
http://mentalhealth.ohio.gov/
Ability to Search by County
Alcohol & Drug Addition
http://www.odadas.state.oh.us/public/
Ability to Search by County
Closing Thoughts
• Financial stress among farm and rural
residents is present today!
• Borrowers will eventually see you as the
bad guys if financial stress isn’t
resolved.
• You are not trained to be
counselors…don’t try to solve your
clients emotional problems…direct them
to someone who is trained to do so!