Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, a professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College who has studied the mental health of farmers for more than a decade.
“It’s a troubling situation,” she says, “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 in 2020, and farm processing backlogs due to workers and trucker drivers being ill with COVID-19.”
The most recent survey delivered by Jones-Bitton, was conducted just as the second wave of COVID-19 was under way. This was a time when stress, burnout, anxiety and depression were high across all of society.
Jones-Bitton, with post-doctoral researcher Dr. Briana Hagen and master of science student Rochelle Thompson, analyzed the responses of nearly 1,200 Canadian farmers who completed an online version of the Survey of Farmer Mental Health in Canada between February and May 2021.
This is the second time Jones-Bitton and her team have surveyed the mental health of Canadian farmers. The first survey, in 2015-16, also noted higher than average levels of stress and other mental health issues.
Women reported worse mental health than men.
The 2021 survey found that stress and mental health problems were higher among women in every way except alcohol use. Although high in the last survey, differences seem more pronounced in the latest survey, according to the research team.
Jones-Britton refers to one major stressor as “role conflict,” women often have on-farm and potentially off-farm responsibilities as well as household operations and “default parent” and go-to person for support.
“This, in addition to the pressures of farming and the pandemic, places a large burden on women farmers,” said Jones-Britton.
The research team calls for better support of women in farming, who often have their identities as farmers challenged and have traditionally not enjoyed some of the leadership positions in agriculture. “We encourage men in farming to ask themselves, and discuss with each other, what they can do to better support and promote women in agriculture,” said Hagen.
Here is an opportunity to Talk. Ask. Listen about mental health in farming for farmers and those working in the agricultural community. Discussion will centre around mental illness signs and symptoms, supports available, discussing mental health with others, mental wellness and self-care.
The four-hour workshop is divided into two segments, with the first on June 26th at 12:00 noon EST covering signs and symptoms and available supports. The second segment is on June 27 at 11:00 am EST when discussion will centre around talking to others about mental health and steps we can take toward self-care.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-talk-ask-listen-for-small-farms-canada-tickets-885893099107
Presented by The Do More Agriculture Foundation and Farm Credit Canada through the Community Fund Initiative.
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Source: Rochelle Thompson, Briana Hagen and Andria Jones-Bitton, University of Guelph, 2022.