Assessment of Farming and Mental Health Problems of Farmers, Selected Rural Community, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Background: Mental health is an important issue for the agricultural community. As someone who struggles with their own mental health, it is a big problem that affects people in many ways. Farmers, and those working in the agricultural industry, are considered a vulnerable group when it comes to mental health. Long hours, working in isolation, unpredictable weather that affects the quality of the crop, animal disease and trade concerns are only some of the issues that can impact the mental stability of farmers and their families. Objectives: To assess the farming and mental health problems of farmers and to find the association between farming and mental health problems of farmers with their selected demographic variable. Method and materials: Cross sectional survey approach and descriptive design were adopted to collect the data from 200 farmers at the age of above 18 years. The structured interview was conducted by using General Health Questionnaires (GHQ-28) to assess the mental health status of farmers. Results: About 21% of farmers were affected with mental health problems. There was statistically significant association between age, gender, occupational status, number of children, marital status and annual income and mental health problems of farmers. It concluded that Farming families experience higher rates of mental health problems It is clear, however, that farming is associated with a unique set of characteristics that is potentially hazardous to mental health and requires further research.