Identifying and Describing Mental Health Stigma Among Agricultural Youth Directors: Does Stigma Influence Practices?

Objectives: This exploratory study aims to: 1) evaluate mental health stigma levels among agricultural youth directors, 2) examine the influence of professional characteristics on stigma, and 3) investigate the relationship between agricultural youth directors' stigma levels and their self-efficacy.

Methods: An online survey was administered from March to May 2022 to 642 agricultural youth directors in Illinois who work with youth aged 1-19. Directors' personal and perceived stigmas toward mental illness were measured using the Depression Stigma Scale.

Substance Use Among Illinois Farmers.

Background:  People in agriculture face unique stressors and occupational hazards, and relatively little is known about substance use in this population. The purpose of this study was to describe substance use among farmers in Illinois.

Methods:  We conducted a mail survey of Illinois farmers that included the Brief ASSIST to assess substance use for lifetime and past three-month use of ten different substances.

A Comparison between Farm-Related Stress, Mental Health, and Social Support between Men and Women Farmers.

Agricultural producers have worse mental health than the general population; however, recent research has not considered differences in stressors and mental health conditions by gender. A survey was mailed to a random sample of farmers in Illinois to screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression and identify sources of stress and social support. Men experienced more stress related to environmental and economic conditions than women, while women tended to have slightly higher levels of geographic isolation stress than men.

Mental Health Among LGBTQ+ Farmers in the United States.

Objectives: The objective of the current study is to describe mental health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people who work in agriculture in the U.S.

Methods: This study uses a survey of LGBTQ+ adults who work in agriculture in the U.

Rural US residents recognize anxiety better than urbanites and suburbanites but hold similar stigma.

Purpose: Recognizing signs of psychological distress is a critical first step in assisting people who are struggling with poor mental health to access help. However, community-level factors that impact recognition and stigma are underexplored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between rurality, other community-level variables, and individual variables with regard to the recognition and stigma of anxiety.

Agricultural Producers' and Stakeholders' Perceived Effectiveness and Participation in COVID-19 Protective Behaviors.

This study was designed to identify the perceived effectiveness of COVID-19 protective behaviors and participation in COVID-19 protective behaviors among agricultural producers and stakeholders in the Midwest, United States. A questionnaire was disseminated online to agricultural producers and stakeholders in April-July 2020. Respondents (N = 1,876) shared their perceptions of the effectiveness of COVID-19 protective behaviors and participation in those behaviors.

From believers to skeptics: Latent class analysis of COVID-19 protective practices and perceptions among agricultural community members.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify homogenous groups of agricultural producers and stakeholders based on their perceptions of effectiveness and use of COVID-19 protective behaviors.

Methods: We conducted an online survey of agricultural producers and stakeholders through Qualtrics. Participants responded to 7 statements about COVID-19 protective behavior effectiveness and 7 statements about participation in COVID-19 protective behaviors in the previous 2 weeks.

An Effective Mental Health Literacy Program for Farm Financial Service Providers.

Objectives: Mental health literacy programs related to agriculture can help enhance skills among agricultural community members and service providers to assist farmers and producers who are experiencing distress. The aim of the current article is to describe an agricultural mental health literacy education-based intervention program offered to USDA Farm Service Agency farm financial service providers. The program was implemented as a self-paced, online training through USDA's AgLearn platform to N = 500 FSA staff.

Social Status Influence on Stigma Towards Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder in the United States.

We describe the relationship between socio-demographic membership and stigma towards any mental illness (AMI) and substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States using a national survey (N = 2512). We hypothesize that participants from higher status socio-demographic groups may be more likely to report stigmatizing attitudes than participants from lower status socio-demographic groups. We find support for our hypothesis using multiple linear regression.

Connecting Primary Care to Community-Based Education: Michigan Physicians' Familiarity With Extension Programs.

Clinical-community linkages enhance health care delivery and enable physician-patient partnerships to achieve better health. The Michigan State University (MSU) Model of Health Extension includes a strategy for forming these linkages by focusing on increasing primary care patient referrals and enrollment in health programs. This article shares the results of a survey of Michigan internal medicine and family medicine physicians ( = 323) to better understand attitudes toward and familiarity with community-based education (CBE) programs and to assess the logistical requirements to make CBE referrals efficient and sustainable.

Angry, Scared, and Unsure: Mental Health Consequences of Contaminated Water in Flint, Michigan.

Natural and manmade crises impact community-level behavioral health, including mental health and substance use. This article shares findings from a larger project about community behavioral health, relevant to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan, using data from a larger study, involving monthly surveys of a panel of key informants from Genesee County. The data come from open-response questions and are analyzed as qualitative data using grounded theory techniques.