The study, An Analysis of Farmers’ Human Characteristics as Drivers of their Anxiety, found how farmers cope with the anxiety is determined by their personal characteristics.
Researchers Bruce Greig, Dr Peter Nuthall and Dr Kevin Old showed a farmer’s personality, drive to achieve objectives, belief in their ability to control outcomes, education and age dictate to how they cope with anxiety.
Nuthall says the degree of anxiety influences decision-making, which means the greater the anxiety the poorer the decisions.
The nature of primary production creates more anxiety among farm managers relative to other occupations, such as coping with uncertain and often extreme weather, product prices, input prices, government rules, employment issues and plant and animal diseases.
Though applicable to the heightened stress and anxiety being felt by farmers grappling with freshwater and greenhouse gas policies and other issues that was not the motivation for the research.
The Rural Support Trust and rural community leaders have in recent months reported an increase in farmers struggling to cope with stress associated with Government reforms, pressure from banks, attacks from environmental and animal activists and the impact of Mycoplasma bovis.
This heightened stress and anxiety is despite healthy prices for meat and milk.
Nuthall says individual personality and intelligence dictate how they deal with anxiety and that is influenced by genetic make-up and the environment in which they are raised.
Traditional coping mechanisms such as talking to others have been promoted but Nuthall says his research shows the individualism of farmers means there is no one specific solution.
“A problem has also been farmers’ reluctance to voice difficulties and seek helpers,” Nuthall said.
“An analysis of personal characteristics provides the information required to direct counselling efforts to modify the anxiety creating personal variables and, consequently, reduce anxiety and its impact on thinking.”
Nuthall says counselling and psychotherapy can be positive and are likely to change basic farmer characteristics but they will also change with age and related factors.
“Effectively, this is a further approach with the farmer using her or his own resources to modify basic characteristics with family and community support.
“However, this probably requires education and training if the farmer is to understand the problem and possible solution methods.”
Stress and anxiety are a significant problem among farmers.
Justice Department figures show on average 23 people in farming-related occupations have taken their lives each year for the last 12 years.
In total over that period 276 farmers took their lives, including 20 in 2018-19.
The three worst years during that period were 2007-08 when 29 people died, 2008-09 with 28 and 2009-10 with 27.
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WHERE TO GET HELP:
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Rural Support Trust – 0800 787 254
Lifeline – 0800 543 354
Youthline – 0800 376 633, text 234,
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757
Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
In a life-threatening situation, call 111.
