Associations Between Economic Conditions and Mental Health Among Farm Parents

Agricultural producers in the United States experience chronic economic volatility that may place them at elevated risk for mental health challenges and disrupted family functioning. Guided by the Family Stress Model (FSM), this study examined associations between economic hardship, mental health, and parenting style among U.S. farm parents.

Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2021 and 2022 with 298 farm adults across multiple states. The survey included validated measures of financial strain, symptoms of depression and anxiety (PHQ-9, GAD-7), and parenting style, categorised into authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or uninvolved.

Results revealed that 40.7% of farm parents met the threshold for probable depression and 30.6% for probable anxiety - rates substantially higher than national averages. Financial indicators such as difficulty paying bills, unmet material needs, financial cutbacks, and higher debt-to-asset ratios were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes. Parenting style was also related to both economic stress and emotional well-being: authoritative parents reported the lowest financial stress and mental health symptoms, while uninvolved parents reported the highest.

These findings are consistent with FSM pathways, which posit that economic hardship is associated with greater psychological distress and disruptions in parenting behaviors.