Preferences for Mental Health Interventions Among Farming Family Members

Farming populations experience mental health difficulties at a higher rate than the general population. Farming family members are likely to face similar challenges given the structural absence of separation between home, workplace and family business; yet the specific intervention preferences of farming family members as a distinct group remain largely understudied.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted online with 16 Irish farming family members (4 male, 12 female; mean age 47.9 ± 17.2 years), and five focus groups were held with 16 key stakeholders (14 male, 2 female; mean age 44.8 ± 13.8 years) from Irish farming and rural organisations. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Four themes were identified: Farm-Centric Facilitators; Preferred Execution and Delivery; Content Preferences; and Challenges to Execution. Participants consistently emphasised the importance of embedding interventions within trusted farming organisations and community structures. Sessions were preferred during quieter farming periods, using informal, conversation-based formats, and delivered by facilitators with dual competency in both mental health and farming. Content priorities centred on increasing mental health literacy, normalising everyday emotional distress, and improving awareness of available supports. Stigma and the hard-to-reach nature of the population were identified as the primary implementation challenges.

Effective interventions for farming families should be community-embedded, practically flexible, and culturally grounded in agricultural life. Increasing mental health literacy and reducing stigma are critical components. These findings are interpreted through the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines for complex interventions to inform future intervention development.