A team from the GPCAH has examined the peer-reviewed scientific literature and some ‘grey’ source reports to identify intervention studies aimed at improving stress, coping, or mental health among farmers and farming communities. Our objective in this work is to identify evidence-based and effective prevention strategies to promote the mental health of farmers and farm workers.

Our definition of mental health is broad, and includes the continuum from positive wellbeing to diagnosable mental conditions.  As described by the US department of Health and Human Services, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. “ (USDHHS https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health)

This page compiles this literature to characterize the current state of knowledge on this important health issue on the farm.

Key papers are summarized and provide a snapshot of what we know and what remain gaps in our knowledge on this topic..  Because the aims, methods, and participants vary across study, information on studies have been sorted into STUDY METHOD (survey, intervention), DEMOGRAPHIC (youth, aging, women, veteran), and MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES (depression, anxiety, mortality, other).  Note that studies may appear more than once in the list (e.g. “survey” of “female farmers” will appear in both lists).

This page is intended to be a useful page to provide information for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and farmers who are interested in the state of the science on mental health interventions for famers, farm workers, and farm communities.

This is a work-in-progress, and we will update this page over the next few months. Questions or comments can be directed to cph-greatplainscenter@uiowa.edu. Please include “Mental Health” in the subject line so we can direct your question to the right team.