Research
Growing the future of mental health in rural Alberta
Mental health initiatives for farmers are rolling out across Canada. Your input is vital to create solutions tailored specifically to the needs of Albertan farmers. Share your experiences to directly impact policies, procedures, and programs aimed at improving farmers’ mental health within your community.
Participate in Our Research Studies
Real people, real challenges and real opportunities. We invite farmers, producers and anyone with lived experience to participate in our current studies.
Supporting farmer mental Health
Environmental scan and resource map of mental health Support Services across Rural Alberta
FREE COUNSElLING SESSIONS PILOT PROJECT
Alberta rural mental health survey
A Recovery-Orients Approach to Support Alberta Farmers for a Sustainable Future
Featured Publications
We are compiling a growing list of the latest Canadian and international research on farm mental health.
Tailored Mental Health Literacy Training Improves Mental Health Knowledge and Confidence among Canadian Farmers
This 2020 study evaluated the impact of “In the Know” mental health literacy training for Canadian agriculture.
The Results from the 2021 Survey of Farmer Mental Health in Canada
Our research efforts are a direct response to the latest Canadian findings about farmer mental health.
AgKnow White Paper
In April 2022 we released a white paper in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Purc-Stephenson at the University of Alberta. Focusing on recovery-oriented approaches to support Albertan farmers for sustainable futures.
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Purc-Stephenson, R. & Roy, N. (2023). Supporting farmer mental health: Environmental scan and resource map of mental health support services across rural Alberta. University of Alberta.
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Liang, Y., Janssen, B., Casteel, C., Nonnenmann, M., & Rohlman, D. S. (2022). Agricultural cooperatives in mental health: Farmers’ perspectives on potential influence. Journal of Agromedicine, 27(2), 143-153.
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Conway, S. F., Farrell, M., McDonagh, J., & Kinsella, A. (2022). ‘Farmers Don’t Retire’: Re-Evaluating How We Engage with and Understand the ‘Older Farmer’s Perspective. Sustainability, 14(5), 1-11.
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Brennan, M., Hennessy, T., Meredith, D., & Dillon, E. (2022). Weather, workload and money: Determining and evaluating sources of stress for farmers in Ireland. Journal of Agromedicine, 27(2), 132-142.
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Hagen, B. N. M., Sawatzky, A., Harper, S. L., O’Sullivan, T. L., & Jones-Bitton, A. (2021). What Impacts Perceived Stress among Canadian Farmers? A Mixed-Methods Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7366.
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Conway, S. F., McDonagh, J., Farrell, M., & Kinsella, A. (2021). Going against the grain: Unraveling the habitus of older farmers to help facilitate generational renewal in agriculture. Sociologia Ruralis, 61(3), 602-622.
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Hagen, B. N. M., Sawatzky, A., Harper, S. L., O’Sullivan, T. L., & Jones-Bitton, A. (2021). “Farmers Aren’t into the Emotions and Things, Right?”: A Qualitative Exploration of Motivations and Barriers for Mental Health Help-Seeking among Canadian Farmers. Journal of Agromedicine, 1-11.
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Unay-Gailhard, İ., & Bojnec, Š. (2021). Gender and the environmental concerns of young farmers: Do young women farmers make a difference on family farms?. Journal of Rural Studies, 88, 71-82.
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Gunn, K. M., Turnbull, D. A., Dollman, J., Kettler, L., Bamford, L., & Vincent, A. D. (2021). Why are some drought affected farmers less distressed than others? The association between stress, psychological distress, acceptance, behavioural disengagement and neuroticism. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 29(1), 106-116.
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Bondy, M., & Cole, D. C. (2020). Striving for Balance and Resilience: Ontario Farmers’ Perceptions of Mental Health. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 39(1), 101-118.
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Cole, D. C., & Bondy, M. C. (2020). Meeting farmers where they are–rural clinicians’ views on farmers’ mental health. Journal of Agromedicine, 25(1), 126-134.
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Hagen, B. N., Winder, C. B., Wootten, J., McMullen, C. K., & Jones-Bitton, A. (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis of depression among farming populations worldwide. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9376.
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Heo, W., Lee, J. M., & Park, N. (2020). Financial-related psychological factors affect life satisfaction of farmers. Journal of Rural Studies, 80, 185-194.
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Jones-Bitton, A., Hagen, B., Fleming, S. J., & Hoy, S. (2019). Farmer burnout in Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 5074.
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Bondy, M., & Cole, D. C. (2019). Change as a double-edged sword: Ecological farmers’ stressors and responses to changes in farming in Grey County, Ontario. Journal of Rural and Community Development, 14(4).
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Truchot, D., & Andela, M. (2018). Burnout and hopelessness among farmers: the Farmers Stressors Inventory. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53(8), 859-867.
Canadian Researcher Profiles
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Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton
Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton’s research passion is the epidemiology of mental health in veterinarians, veterinary students, and agricultural producers. Andria uses mixed research methods (quantitative and qualitative) to achieve her research objectives.
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Dr. Briana Hagen
Dr. Briana Hagen is investigating mental health among Canadian farmers. Building on the results of their work, the researchers have developed mental health literacy training for agricultural and medical communities alike, providing farmer-specific resources.
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Dr. Michelle Pavloff
Dr. Michelle Pavloff is currently conducting research on rural mental health. One current research project supports Saskatchewan farmers’ and ranchers’ mental health. The other project is supporting rural Saskatchewan youth mental health.
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Dr. Rebecca Purc-Stephenson
Dr. Rebecca Purc-Stephenson is an Applied Social Psychologist and Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus. She is also a research associate of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities.
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Dr. Clark Banack
Dr. Banack is an Adjunct Professor of political science at the U of A and Acting Director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities. He specializes in the areas of western Canadian politics, provincial education policy, and rural-urban issues.
Connect with the UofA Research Team
We’re a network built on collaboration and are always looking for the latest research on farm mental health to highlight. If you’d like to be profiled on our website, feature your publications, or collaborate with our research in some way, we’d love to connect with you.