Are Agricultural Youth Directors Prepared to Talk About Mental Health?

Over half of agricultural youth directors rarely discuss mental health issues such as depression and suicidal thoughts. There is a significant correlation between the frequency of mental health discussions and agricultural youth directors' self-reported knowledge and confidence levels. Integrating tailored mental health training into professional development programs could enhance the effectiveness of youth mentoring in agricultural settings.

This study evaluates how frequently agricultural youth directors discuss mental health topics with youth and explores the influence of directors' knowledge and confidence on these discussions. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey assessing mental health knowledge and confidence among 242 directors from 4-H, Extension, and FFA in Illinois. The results indicate that discussions on sensitive mental health issues such as depression, suicide, traumatic experiences, isolation, eating disorders, self-harm, and substance use are infrequent and correlate with agricultural youth directors' limited knowledge and confidence in addressing these issues. The findings underscore the importance of mental health literacy as an essential part of professional development for agricultural youth directors and advocate for integrating mental health considerations into youth development models in agriculture. This research fills a gap in the existing literature on mental health in agricultural settings by pinpointing key areas for improving agricultural youth directors' ability to support youth mental health effectively.