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Farmers face multiple stressors and are becoming alert to mental health, yet their views are underresearched. We conducted, recorded, and thematically analyzed 16 semi-structured interviews with Ontario small-holder farmers recruited through county farm organizations. A subset mapped stress effects on their health. Farmers believed their health was fundamental to their farms’ viability and they approached challenges to their health and mental health similarly to how they would approach challenges to their farm. Health was a balancing act amidst stressors; good stress challenging them, and bad stress occasionally overwhelming them. Poor mental health was a barrier, while good mental health was essential for resilience. Multiple opportunities exist to work with farmers, farm organizations, and their rural communities to better support farmers striving for balance and resilience in their mental health.
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Bondy et al. (2020) studied this question.
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