Poor Mental Health Days and Depression by Farming Occupation and Sociodemographic Factors: BRFSS 2019 Data from 13 States

BACKGROUND: Farmers are disproportionately affected by suicide, which is frequently preceded by signs of poor mental health. Findings on mental health outcomes among individuals in farming occupations are mixed. This analysis of a major national dataset sought to identify the sociodemographic factors related to poor mental health days and lifetime depression diagnosis among U.S. farming-related occupations versus the general population of people employed in non-farming occupations. METHODS: Data were from 13 states providing industry and occupational data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) 2019 survey. Bivariate statistics and logistic regression investigated correlates (sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, and age) associated with poor mental health days in the last 30 days (14 or more days vs. 13 or fewer days) and with a depression diagnosis among farmers versus non-farmers. RESULTS: The analysis included 55,253 individuals, with 2,773 individuals in farming occupations. In unadjusted models, people in farming occupations were significantly more likely than those in non-farming occupations to be older, White, with lower educational attainment, and a lower prevalence of poor mental health days or depression. In adjusted models, farming and non-farming occupations had no significant difference in the odds of having poor mental health days or a depression diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic differences between farming and non-farming occupations echoed previous findings. Being in a farming occupation was not associated with odds of poor mental health days or a depressive disorder diagnosis compared to non-farming occupations, which supports other findings from national datasets. These findings, along with statistics showing a higher rate of suicide among farmers and farmworkers, suggest that additional research is needed about factors related to farm-related occupational wellness and distress.