Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2021
Keywords
farmer, rancher, mental health, suicide, anxiety, depression, self-blame coping, social support, farm stress
Abstract
Research on the complex relationships of variables contributing to farmer suicide is limited. The purpose of the study was to examine factors associated with suicide risk through the use of standardized instruments measuring psychological (depression, anxiety), social (social support), and contextual factors. A questionnaire was completed by 600 farmers in the Midwestern United States. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze associations with suicide risk (SBQ-R), including depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), Brief COPE subscales (BC), social support (MSPSS), and select demographic and farming characteristics. The only variable that emerged as having a significant relationship with the natural log-transformed suicide risk score was coping through self-blame. While suicidality is often considered the outcome of mental illness, our findings do not suggest that suicide risk among farmers is related to mental illness, and a further examination of self-blame as a coping strategy is warranted.
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
18
First Page
3563
DOI of Published Version
10.3390/ijerph18073563
Publisher
MDPI
Rights
Copyright © 2021 the Authors
Recommended Citation
Bjornestad, A.; Cuthbertson, C.; Hendricks, J. An Analysis of Suicide Risk Factors among Farmers in the Midwestern United States. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3563. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073563
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Agriculture Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons