Why focus on
Mental Health?
conducted by the University of Guelph led by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, along with post-doctoral researcher Dr. Briana Hagen and master of science student Rochelle Thompson, notes:
- 76% of farmers were classified as experiencing moderate or high perceived stress
- 1 in 4 Canadian farmers felt their life was not worth living, wished they were dead or thought of taking their own life in the last 12 months
- Farmers had significantly higher scores on all 3 subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory
When you think about the wide range of stresses that our farmers experience on a day-to-day basis, most of those stressors are outside of their control. There’s likely a sense of helplessness and hopelessness that comes with that, and helplessness and hopelessness predispose us to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
The statistics highlight the importance of providing essential easily accessible mental health and wellness training, tools, and resources. Take the first steps in maintaining mental fitness, recognize when it may be time to reach out and talk to someone, and learn how to care for yourself, your family, your workers on the farm, and anyone in the farming community.
Must Watch
The spark that lit the fire in getting farmers talking and the evolution of expanding farm mental health resources in Canada.