Mental health and stress in agriculture - some initial perspectives

Transcription

1 Mental health and stress in agriculture - some initial perspectives Peter Lundqvist Professor Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp SWEDEN

2 The circle of working life Work content - Work tasks - Freedom at work & Initiatives - Responsibilties - Feed-back - Carrots Development of competence / learning Psykosocial working conditions Employment - Salary / Wages - Working hours - Benefits Organization & managers - Goals - Work descriptions -Information & Communication - Decisions and influence - Conflicts & collaboration - Leadership abilities Physical factors Ergonomics - Air quality - Noise - Chemicals - Climate -Risk factors Collegues - Social contact - Shared values - Security - Have fun - Giving support to each other Physical working conditions Other factors - Family - Home - Society - Service - Leisure time

3 In the farmer ś head - daily challenges. (Allan Fredriksson, 1989) Weather Legislation, agriculture politics, Eu directives, inspections & controls Long working days Few hours of sleep during the highseasons Diseases & pests Family problems Always working Time pressure Uncertain and unstable economy Risky work with animals & machinery Holiday? Maybe after retirement if I can afford it Working alone

4 Other stress factors (Sweden) Rural crime thefts Animal rights activists threats/sabotage Inspections by authorities (animals, environment, health & safety) Exploitation by authorities (roads, railroads ) Wolfs, wild boars, geese Conflicts with neighbors Loneliness no close friend / lack of women Negative media criticism Hard to find a successor

5 Small-scale agriculture Farm families with animals has 365 working days often long working days. Often no employees and no external help Illness or injury causing big problem No relief from work & farm Divorse, serious injury or bankruptcy could be devastating for farmers mental health Trend partner work outside farm & less social network between farmers

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8 Mental Health - Early Warning Signs Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem: Eating or sleeping too much or too little Pulling away from people and usual activities Having low or no energy Feeling numb or like nothing matters Having unexplained aches and pains Feeling helpless or hopeless Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared Yelling or fighting with family and friends Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head Hearing voices or believing things that are not true Thinking of harming yourself or others Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

9 Suicides In USA 90,5 suicides per 100,000 male farmers, in 1982 it was 58 per 100,000 In Sweden not known how many, but at least 3 during last months. Explanations: economical struggle, feeling of guilt and failure, loss of family farm Theories: exposures for certain pesticides could lead to anxiety and depression...and suicide..

10 Measures to cope with stress Sweden During the Swedish milk crisis there was a farmers help-line to call with 3 alernatives: Farm advisor on milk production Farm advisor on farm economics Psychological support Farmer friend The Swedish Farmers Association has a service called Farmer friend which you secretly can call to discuss any issues and to get further advice on how to get in-depth support

11 Stresshandling for farmers a small guide What is stress Reasons for stress How to cope with stress - Economical issues extension service - Good planning - Employees / Responsibilities - Use of new technology - Improved marketing Understanding stress What can be done about stress? - Be aware & understand! - Use methods to reduce stress! - Make wise changes! Consequences of longstanding stress - Domestic violence - Self harm Stress reducing - Sleep well, alcohol & drugs, structured problem solving, take care of relations, relaxation, Say no!, change the mindset How can relatives help? External help

12 Measures to cope with stress USA/Canada New York Farm Bureau & NY FarmNet is organizing stress management seminars, to provide information about the signs of stress, burnout and depression and how best to cope. Farm Stress Line (Saskatchewan) Clarifying the problem or concern and work with you towards a solution plus other contacts needed (a number of others in Canada) Online course for managing farm stress from MSU Extension is designed to help farm families get a better understanding of chronic stress and cultivate a more productive mindset.

13 Mental health hub: It's OK not to be OK #FGMentalHealth This is Farmers Guardian s hub on mental health - helplines, people and how to deal with mental health.

14 Measures to cope with stress Australia The Ripple The Ripple Effect is about farmers helping farmers beat rural suicide by transforming the negative ripple of stigma into a positive ripple of support Get off Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to reduce anxiety and stress, farmers adviced (Regional Men s Health educator Owen Catto)

15 May is Mental Awareness Month