STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AMONG ARABLE CROP WOMEN FARMERS IN AYEDAADE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OSUN STATE (original) (raw)
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Rural farmers, in most cases, act as their own managers and feel responsible for numerous farming issues over which they have little or no control. Essentially, farmers allocate a signi cant portion of their available time primarily to safety, as well as improvements in crops, land, and even livestock. However, it is very regrettable to think that they do not extend the same care or give equal consideration to their physical, social, and mental health and well-being, increasing the likelihood of stress. If this problem of stress persists, it could lead to a reduction in their ability to provide for themselves and also impact rural development. This is why the study was undertaken to determine whether there is a relationship between stress management among farmers and rural development. This was achieved through the use of the multi-stage sampling technique in choosing 360 respondents and employing Robert Karasek's stress theory to explain the subject matter. The study concluded that stress among farmers could lead to rural underdevelopment. Thus, the study recommends that farmers should make an effort to reduce their stress by spending quality time with their families, employing more labor (if they can afford it), and interacting with other farmers, among other strategies.
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Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2010
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Journal of Rural Mental Health, 2023
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This paper aims to provide an insightregarding stress-related experiences of agricultural workers and some key differences in terms of the roles and nature of farm work. Moreover, this paper investigatedhow working environment and experiences of farmers influence stress.A cross sectional study design was utilized to assess the stress-related experiences and coping mechanism of farmers through survey questionnaire. Stressors on farming were determined using Edinburgh Farming Stress Inventory instrument. To assess the different ways in which farmers respond to stress, Brief COPE was used. Other variables were measured using an instrument containing self-report items related to the other exposure variables. These variables were age, sex, civil status, farm size, hour of work and nature of work.This paper revealed that majority of the farming stress is contributed by the government policies and regulations and geographic isolation. The coping mechanism usually adopted by the farmers is ...
Psychological Stress and Health Hazards of Farm Women: The Social Ecology and Inflicting Functions
S K Acharya , Riti Chatterjee, 2020
Farm women are suffering from a lot of health related problems along with some socioeconomic constraints where farming has been listed as one of the ten most stressful occupations in the world. In turn, they are at risk for the development of stress and other mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression or even suicide. This is an important co-morbidity of physical problems and if left untreated they may invite other health issues. This will affect the financial aspect also. And as the farm women are home maker along with their farm work, they have to face the challenge both in home and workplace. The problem is mainly due to different issues in the working place like long working hours, financial uncertainty and family disturbances. A study on this topic, was carried out at Boinchigram village under Pandua Block in Hooghly district as they are also suffering the same, with objectives to generate classified information on occupational hazards of farm women, to estimate the level of psychological stress in terms of a score of socioeconomic and ecological factors, to estimate the level of interactive relation between level of psychological stress and score of socioeconomic and ecological factors and to generate micro level policy implication based on the empirical study In order to collect the reliable experimental data, the selected parameters were taken, like: Age, number of children, B.M.I., Main health problems, Psycho-social hazards, family Original Research Article Chatterjee and Acharya; JESBS, 33(4): 21-32, 2020; Article no.JESBS.53826 22 income per annum, family expenditure per annum, working hours per day, daily calorie consumption etc. Majority of the population under study are poor, undernourished farm women. It has seen that, when the number of children in a family increased, it is difficult to their mother to attain the farm work and caring of their children at the same time because they spent maximum hour in the field. So, both the children and mother suffer from psycho-social hazards. And the calorie consumption level per day has some indirect effect because calorie is the last word to speak out. But income plays the most important role in stabilizing their mental condition. So, a better understanding of potential women-work environment interactions related to psycho-social hazards and mental health of the farm women is seriously needed to save the future workforce of agriculture.
2021
Focused Question What stress management strategies and interventions are most effective in reducing stress and promoting positive mental health of farmers negatively impacted by work stressors? Clinical Scenario The dynamic transactions between the environment, person, and occupation play a role in the success of the farmer, their access to healthcare, and their willingness to seek support with their stressors or difficulties. Depression, stress, and other mental health conditions are highly prevalent within the farming community. This population is less likely to seek out and utilize available mental health resources and services, and in many cases, mental health resources are not available in rural areas (Gunn et al., 2021; Kennedy et al., 2020). The environment plays a major role in the mental health of farmers. This includes the physical and social environment. Aspects of the physical environment include the plot of land that the farmers cultivate, the animals that they raise, climate factors, and the limited access to healthcare that is often associated with rural areas. Unpredictable climate and weather contribute to stress in the farming community (Gunn et al., 2012; Gunn et al., 2021). Climate change and its effect on the environment is a rising concern of farmers. Climate change and other environmental factors can drastically alter farmers' land and dictate production. The livelihood and financial stability of each farmer depends on crop production, and the success of the harvest. Lack of production can result in higher levels of stress for farmers, which can lead to more mental health problems (Gunn et al., 2012; Gunn et al., 2021). There is also a stigma associated with mental health within the social environment of the farming community. Farmers tend to normalize and ignore their physical and mental health conditions, which leads to fewer people accessing the health services that they need. Ignoring these physical and mental health conditions may be linked to the stigma of not being healthy enough to run the farm (Kennedy et al., 2020). Work stressors can negatively impact the health and well-being of both farmers and their families, and farming is said to have a high-stress work environment (Stier-Jarmer et al., 2020). Farming can become more difficult for workers in high stress environments as mental health conditions increase, and research suggests that mental health conditions can lead to cognitive decline and physical health problems (Gunn et al., 2021). There is growing evidence that those involved in farming are at higher risk of developing mental health problems (Gunn et al., 2021). The occupation of farming keeps farmers active, which can reduce the risks of diseases such as cancer and diabetes; however, it can lead to higher rates of depression (Brumby et al., 2009). The occupation of farming can lead to many physical and mental impairments due to the high stress work environment and risk for physical injury. Farming is a dangerous job that includes many stressors. Farmers are at high risk of stress due to risk factors such as pesticide exposure, the uncertainty of the market, financial problems, time constraints, loss of livestock or property, and governmental regulations (Gunn et al., 2012; Gunn et al., 2021). All of these stress factors contribute to the high rates of mental health conditions that are seen with farmers. Gunn et al. (2021) suggested that this lifestyle makes individuals more vulnerable to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression. The occupation of farming and the role of being a farmer can cause high levels of stress, all of which can result in mental health conditions and a higher prevalence of suicide (Gunn et al., 2012; Gunn et al., 2021
Journal of Ecophysiology and Occupational Health
Background: Occupational stress is common among field farmers. Evidence suggests altered mental health issues following farming. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was performed among purposively selected 248 field farmers in a rural area of West Bengal in the span of July to September month, 2022. Four sections were included in the research tool. Results: Results found that 98% were small-field farmers. 79.84% of farmers had a moderate work ability index and it was associated with age, marital status, caste, and annual income. Elements of the brief COPE inventory were not associated with the Work Ability Index. The occupational stress factors were presented in the frequency of low to high-level experiences. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the association between the Work Ability Index and demographic variables. Occupational stress factors of agricultural, financial and family-related domains were identified.
Farmers, farm workers and work-related stress
This research explores the ways in which stress affects farming communities, how this has changed in recent years, and the degree to which work-related aspects of stress may be assuaged by support interventions. A qualitative case study research approach was employed to address these issues, involving 60 interviews in five locations across England and Wales. In examining farming stress, a distinction is made between its intrinsic, extrinsic and workrelated dimensions. While interviewees tended to associate day-to-day worries and acute stress with farming’s intrinsic demands (such as disease and adverse weather conditions), external causes of tension (such as competition and regulation), together with worries about finances and family, were associated with more sustained anxieties. By contrast, work-related aspects of farming stress, such as workload issues and farming practices, involved a combination of physical and mental health effects. Notably, work-related and extrinsic dimensions of stress have increased in recent years in relation to organisational and policy shifts, price fluctuations, mounting paperwork demands, workload intensification, and changes in agricultural regulation. These have prompted an escalation in the aspects of their work that farming communities feel powerless to control, and represent a major area for policy intervention. Principal farmers displayed the most visible manifestations of stress, linked at once to the intrinsic, extrinsic and workrelated dimensions of their work. By contrast, family farm workers and labourers often lacked autonomy over the way they worked, and work-related aspects of stress concerning workload and organisation made up a greater part of their experience. Increased paperwork demands emerged as a major cause of stress among interviewees, particularly for farmers and their wives, who struggled to balance these with traditional farming priorities. Differences between farms were also influential in explaining stress. Livestock farming embodied intrinsic pressures relating to stock crises and the unpredictability of animals, but more recently has come under intense economic pressure, prompting a rationalisation of working practices. Arable farmers found the organisation of activities, such as harvesting and planting, in a context of reduced and increasingly contractual workforces particularly challenging. Mixed farmers faced the dual stresses of balancing work activities with conflicting timetables, and the paperwork demands of a complex portfolio of farming. Smaller farms were struggled with intensified workloads, while larger enterprises had to comply with the demands of more inspection regimes. Support agencies need to overcome the stigma attached to asking for help among farming communities and offer a range of responsive and proactive services. Locally based support was more likely to be used and trusted, although concerns about client confidentiality might deter those most in need from seeking help. Where existing local networks were established, there was a strong argument for providers to plug into these and work towards publicising their efforts to ensure that support is provided most effectively. Critically, support must be multidimensional, reflecting the wide range of stressors and their impacts among farming communities.