Canadian Farmers’ Mental Health Is Worse Than It Was 5 Years Ago: Study

Canadian Farmers’ Mental Health Is Worse Than It Was 5 Years Ago: Study
A farm tractor and baler sit in a hay field on a misty morning near Cremona, Alberta, on Aug. 30, 2016. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
David Wagner
Updated:

The pandemic has heightened stress on farmers, who already had a stressful, uncertain profession; Canadian farmers’ mental health has gotten worse than it was five years ago and is worse than the general population in almost every way, according to researchers from the University of Guelph (U of G).

Researchers led by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton conducted a study on 1,200 farmers between February and May 2021. The study followed up on Jones-Bitton’s previous findings that showed farmers had higher stress levels and mental health issues than the national average.