Rudolphi and Berg: Farm Family Mental Health

In Mental Health of Agricultural Adolescents and Adults: Preliminary Results of a Five-year Study, authors Josie M. Rudolphi (Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois) and Richard L. Berg (Research Computing and Analytics, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, WI) identify and examine factors that influence the mental health of farmers and their families.

Spurred in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, public conversation around mental health has become more prevalent throughout the United States. The authors identify that while previous research has been conducted on the mental health of agricultural workers, few studies examine the mental health of farm families. Therefore, the study gathered data from both farming parents and their children in an attempt to identify correlations within the family.

Rudolphi and Berg found that both farming parents and their children met the criteria for depression and anxiety at higher levels than the total population. Additionally, a significant percentage of farmers reported symptoms of depression and anxiety but self-rated their mental health as “good” or “excellent.” The authors identified a correlation between a farmer’s financial situation and the likelihood that the farmer met the criteria for depression. There also existed a strong relationship between farm parents’ personal emotional distress and the likelihood that their children also reported similar symptoms.