Resilience, Loneliness, and Mental Well-Being in the UK Farming Community

Farmers and their families are at risk of loneliness due to frequent solitary working, geographical isolation, and narrow social networks. These circumstances compromise the mental well-being of farming communities, highlighting the need for a better understanding of protective psychological factors. Resilience may serve as a pathway between the negative effects of loneliness and mental well-being; however, evidence of its role in agricultural populations is scarce. This study considers whether resilience mediates the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in the UK farming community.

A cross-sectional survey collected data from 320 members of the UK farming community (39.4% males; 59.4% females, 1.2% prefer not to say; Median age = 43.1 years). The convenience sample was collected through online and paper surveys and promoted via social media, farming groups, auction marts, and agricultural organizations. Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale, Loneliness RULS-6 scale, and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (Short).

Over half of participants (54.5%) scored within a range for mental well-being consistent with possible mild or probable clinical depression. Higher loneliness was associated with lower resilience and mental well-being, whilst higher resilience was related to higher mental well-being. A regression-based mediation analysis with 1,000 bootstrap samples (without covariates) revealed that resilience partially mediates the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in farming community members.

This study provides vital evidence of the mediating role that resilience plays in the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in UK farming community members. Our findings emphasize the importance of resilience-building as a key mechanism to support the well-documented mental well-being challenges faced by people in farming communities. These findings add to the limited but growing body of evidence that supports the development of targeted interventions that integrate both resilience-building and loneliness reduction as a comprehensive support package. Our study demonstrates that addressing these factors in tandem is essential for improving the mental well-being of UK farming communities, ensuring people receive the necessary tools and resources to foster strength and connection.