NUIG and Teagasc dairy farm survey links worry to accidents
A study has been carried by NUIG and Teagasc, and the preliminarily results were presented by behavioral scientist Denis O’Hora of NUIG at the recent All- Ireland Farm Safety Conference.
For the study, 121 dairy farmers were surveyed on financial worries, stress, anxiety, depression, social support, and expectations of injury.
I spoke to Denis O’Hora, and postgraduate student Emilia Furey, to get a better insight into the causes of farmer stress.
Emilia explains, “Stresses in this study are made up of general life stresses and very specific farm stresses”.
Analyses showed that stress and financial threat increased anxiety, which was reduced by social support.
Expectations of injury correlated with anxiety and stress.
Denis O’Hora said, “Our reading of these findings is that stress and financial worries wear away at farmers, which reduces their mental health.
“We know that as mental health reduces, work accidents become more likely, so good mental health plays a protective role in keeping us safe at work.
"The dairy farmers who participated scored very high on social support and low on mental health issues.
"They were also well connected with local and national support schemes, and were preparing to expand their business prior to the relaxation of dairy quotas.
“We are most concerned with the farmers who do not have such supports, and who are just struggling to get by”.
Anxiety (if levels are too high) is part of mental ill-health, like depression, and can also exist alongside it, Emilia explains.
The study did not find that the farmers were depressed. However, Emilia pointed out, “That is not to say that those who reported being anxious now won’t later develop depression”.
The study is especially pertinent given the end of recession time frame and the group studied, dairy farmers trying to cope with the end of milk quotas.
Denis encouraged farmers to get involved in discussion groups and knowledge transfer groups, if they are not already.
“We want to raise the standard of safety on our farms, and farmers can help each other by solving safety issues together and raising our expectations around safety on the farm.”
Emilia added, Having adequate social support is something that can impact on the effect of stress and what stress does to a person’s mental health”.
