Stress and Sociocultural Factors Related to Health Status Among US–Mexico Border Farmworkers (original) (raw)
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Migrant Farmworker Stress: Mental Health Implications
The Journal of Rural Health, 2008
Context: The number of Latinos in rural regions of the United States is increasing. Little is known about factors that undermine the mental health of this segment of the rural population. Purpose: The goal of this study is to determine which stressors inherent in farmwork and the farmworker lifestyle contribute to poor mental health. Methods: An interview containing the Migrant Farmworker Stress Inventory (MFWSI) and 3 mental health scales (the PAI [anxiety], CES-D [depression], and CAGE/4M [alcohol abuse]) was administered to a sample of 125 male migrant farmworkers. Factor analysis differentiated discrete domains of stressors in the MFWSI. Regression models identified associations of the MFWSI stressor domains with mental health outcomes. Findings: Thirty-eight percent of participants had significant levels of stress as determined by the MFWSI. The MFWSI reduced to 5 stressor domains: legality and logistics, social isolation, work conditions, family, and substance abuse by others. Some 18.4% of participants had impairing levels of anxiety, 41.6% met caseness for depression, and 37.6% answered yes to 2 or more questions on the CAGE. Social isolation and working conditions were associated with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, social isolation was more strongly associated with anxiety, and working conditions were more strongly linked to depression. Conclusions: Specific categories of stressors (social isolation, working conditions) inherent in farmwork and the farmworker lifestyle are associated with mental health among immigrant farmworkers. Isolating specific categories of stressors helps in designing programs and practice for the prevention and management of mental health disorders in the immigrant, farmworker population.
Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 2008
This study tests basic predictions from the demands-control model of occupational stress in Latino immigrant farmworkers. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 151Ăfarmworkers in eastern North Carolina via face-to-face interviews conducted in Spanish during the summer of 2005. Results suggest that farmwork is characterized by low psychological demand and low control, or that it is a "passive job." Multivariate analyses provided little support for predictions. Isometric load, an indicator of physical job demands reflecting how frequently workers maintain awkward postures for long periods, was associated with poorer physical health, and high worker control was associated with better mental health. However, pace of work, an indicator of psychological job demand, was unassociated with physical and mental health, and physical exertion, another indicator of physical job demand, was not robustly associated with health outcomes. The results suggest that core predictions from the demands-control model do not hold for immigrant farmworkers, and they foreshadow possible ways of refining the model.
BMC Public Health, 2022
Background: Mexican-origin adults living near the U.S.-Mexico border experience unique and pervasive social and ecological stressors, including poverty, perceived discrimination, and environmental hazards, potentially contributing to the high burden of chronic disease. However, there is also evidence that residents in high-density Mexicanorigin neighborhoods exhibit lower prevalence rates of disease and related mortality than those living in other areas. Understanding the factors that contribute to health resiliencies at the community scale is essential to informing the effective design of health promotion strategies. Methods: La Vida en la Frontera is a mixed-methods participatory study linking a multidisciplinary University of Arizona research team with Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a community-based organization founded by community health workers in San Luis, Arizona. This paper describes the current protocol for aims 2 and 3 of this multi-faceted investigation. In aim 2 a cohort of N≈300 will be recruited using door-to-door sampling of neighborhoods in San Luis and Somerton, AZ. Participants will be surveyed and undergo biomarker assessments for indicators of health and chronic stress at three time points across a year length. A subset of this cohort will be invited to participate in aim 3 where they will be interviewed to further understand mechanisms of resilience and wellbeing. Discussion: This study examines objective and subjective mechanisms of the relationship between stress and health in an ecologically diverse rural community over an extended timeframe and illuminates health disparities affecting residents of this medically underserved community. Findings from this investigation directly impact the participants and community through deepening our understanding of the linkages between individual and community level stress and chronic disease risk. This innovative study utilizes a comprehensive methodology to investigate pathways of stress and chronic disease risk present at individual and community levels. We address multiple public health issues
Anthropological and psychological merge: design of a stress measure for Mexican farmworkers
Culture Medicine and Psychiatry
This study implements qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the development of a culturally appropriate instrument of stress for Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Focus groups were used to uncover culturally based perspectives on life stressors, definitions of stress, and stress mediators. Qualitative data were analyzed using QSR NVivo and then used to develop a 23-item stress scale. The scale was tested for reliability and validity in an independent sample and demonstrates excellent reliability (alpha = 0.9123). Test-retest coefficients of the stress scale are also strong (r = 0.8344, p = 0.0000). Qualitative analyses indicated three major sources of stress: work, family, and community. Emotional aspects of stress also emerged, demonstrating a cultural perspective of stress closely related to feelings of despair and not being able to find a way out of despairing situations. This paper reveals themes gathered from the qualitative data and identifies reliability and validity con...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Objectives: To examine the type and severity of stressors experienced among Latina farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A survey containing the Migrant Farmworker Stress Inventory was administered to 77 female-identifying Latina farmworkers working in a US–Mexico border region. A sub-sample of five participants participated in key-informant interviews. Data collection occurred in Summer 2021. Results: Nearly 40% of Latina farmworkers reported high stress levels indicative of clinical mental health risks. Health and safety concerns and experienced stressors identified included visible substance abuse and poor bathroom conditions at the field site, language barriers, and balancing work and home life demands. Conclusions: Latina farmworkers have unique health and safety needs, and COVID-19 has contributed to the experienced stressors. Understanding the familial and working environment sources of stress specific to female agriculture workers is imperative to implementing c...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Hispanic/Latino and migrant workers experience high degrees of occupational stress, constitute most of California’s agricultural workforce, and were among the most impacted populations by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, relatively little is known about the occupational stress experienced by farmworkers who commute daily between the US and Mexico. Occupational stress is considered an imbalance between the demands at work and the capabilities to respond in the context of the workforce. The goal of this study is to determine the type and severity of stressors in daytime and resident farmworkers and how COVID-19 vaccination status contributes to these stressors. Interviews containing the Migrant Farmworker Stress Inventory (MSWSI) were administered to a sample of 199 Hispanic/Latino farmworkers in Imperial County, a multi-billion-dollar agriculture sector in the US. Principal factor analysis differentiated latent factors in the MFSWI. Simple linear regression models and correlations ide...
Assessing Farm Stress and Community Supports in a U.S.-Mexico Border County
Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 2021
HighlightsOf 24 study respondents, 56.3% had clinical depression symptomatology based on the CES-D depression screening scale.Depression scores were positively correlated with respondents’ ability to obtain credit.Unpredictable factors, such as government regulations and weather, were the most prevalent farm-related stressors among respondents.. Imperial County, California, is a high-need, medically underserved area that has some of the worst overall health outcomes of all California counties. Given this and the high depression and anxiety rates in agricultural occupations, Imperial County farmers and ranchers may be at an increased risk of stress and poor mental health outcomes. An exploratory mixed methods assessment was used to collect information from 24 farmers and ranchers in Imperial County. Survey topics included questions about farm or ranch operations, farm-related stress, mental health, community support, and health behaviors. The results indicate that most respondents pe...
Stress and cognitive function in Latino Farmworkers
American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2012
BACKGROUND-Job stress has been associated with cognitive function, but the relationship is often overlooked when considering occupational health and safety issues of farmworkers. This study examined the relationship between stress and change in stress with change in cognitive function in a representative sample of 123 Latino farmworkers. METHODS: A prospective study design was used in which stress and cognitive function data were collected at baseline and at 3month follow-up. Linear regression models were used for analyses. Potential confounders included baseline gender, age, education, number of years worked in U.S. agriculture, ever smoking status, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS-Baseline stress was significantly correlated with baseline cognitive function (r = −. 27; p <.001). Adjusting for confounders, increased baseline stress was associated with greater decline in cognitive function (p = .024). Short-term changes in stress were not associated with cognitive change in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS-Stress at work is an important risk factor for poor cognitive function. This analysis suggests several implications for the provision of health care and for the organization of work for farmworkers. Keywords stress; cognitive function; occupational health; farmworkers Farming is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States [NIOSH 2010]. Stress in farmworkers has emerged as an important public health concern, with nearly 40% of farmworkers studied having significant levels of stress [Hiott et al. 2008]. Farmworkers face numerous stressors, including occupational hazards, poverty, nature of rural life and social isolation, health and safety concerns, and separation from family [