Building Resilient Agricultural Communities: A Process for Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Agricultural Communities

Megan Schossow, Diane M Kampa, Jeffrey Bender

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The impacts of stress on physical and mental health are increasingly salient, and understanding how occupational stress interacts with occupational health and safety will shape conditions and cultures for workers. The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) recognized a need to better understand occupational stressors and mental health outcomes in agriculture, and identify barriers to mental health care along with interventions to improve this system. UMASH hosted a one-day working forum that framed agricultural stress and poor mental health, and potential for interventions, for Minnesota farmers, agricultural workers, and their families. Building Resilient Agricultural Communities engaged a spectrum of stakeholders in agricultural work including: representatives of agricultural workers, farmers, health care, policy makers, and more. The forum further defined stressors and systemic barriers to health care for agricultural workers through presentations, panel discussion, that facilitated discussions and recommendations for intervention. Priority areas to focus outreach and engagement efforts, research, and screening are shared out, with reference to the continued outcomes and impact of this forum.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)97-100
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of agromedicine
Volume28
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank the organizers of this forum, including the former UMASH Director Dr. Bruce Alexander, Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Meg Moynihan, MS, and Dr. Katelyn Macy and Linda Valeri, MBA, who provided support for organizing, and moderating the forum. We would like to thank the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for funding and support of this forum and subsequent support to the agricultural community.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Agriculture
  • mental health
  • resilience
  • stress

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

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