Research set to explore farmers’ mental health
ANEW research project led by the University of Exeter will explore how social isolation, loneliness and mental health issues within the farming community are experienced and managed – and how to improve support available.
Working together with the charity Farming Community Network (FCN), a series of interviews will be conducted with farmers and their families in Devon and Cornwall to better understand how different aspects of a farmer’s work, life and physical environment can lead to them experiencing feelings of stress, anxiety and loneliness.
The research, ‘Loneliness, Social Isolation and Mental Health in Farming Communities: An Analysis of Social and Cultural Factors’, is being carried out by the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR) at the University of Exeter, and is expected to conclude in September 2021.
Matt Lobley, professor of rural resource management and director of the CRPR, said changes in farming over a number of decades mean it is an “increasingly solitary and lonely activity”. He added: “Wider societal changes also mean that farmers and members of farming families can experience feelings of both social and cultural isolation.
“For some this isn’t necessarily a problem but for others it can be associated with deteriorating wellbeing and mental health issues.”
Mr Lobley continued: “At a time when the mental well-being of the farming community is a topic of increasing interest and awareness, this research will help us understand more about pathways from isolation and loneliness to mental health issues and will help inform future interventions to support farming families.”
During the project, which has been supported by the Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Research Network, funded by UK Research and Innovation, the University of Exeter researchers will work in partnership with Farming Community Network to ensure that the research is sensitively designed and that recommendations for more support are applicable.
Through its team of 400 volunteers and national helpline, the charity provides practical and pastoral help and support to farming families in England and Wales.
Dr Jude McCann, chief executive of the Farming Community Network, said many cases presenting to FCN contain a mental health component, which can be exacerbated by issues such as financial difficulties, relationship problems and fears and uncertainties around the future.
He added: “This research presents an important opportunity to hear directly from members of the farming community about the key issues they experience, both personally and as part of their farming businesses, and how they manage these challenges and stay resilient.
“We hope this research will help to better understand these experiences and will inform interventions for how to improve the support that is available to those in need.”
A series of workshops are also planned as part of the project, with the research team working closely with a range of rural charities and public health professionals from Cornwall and Devon to help inform the questions asked at interview.