New farm family mental health study seeks Leitrim participants
Leitrim people are encouraged to take part in the Mental Health intervention programme
A new study has highlighted the mental health challenges experienced by Irish farm family members, including partners, parents and children, with researchers now encouraging people in Leitrim to take part in a new mental health intervention programme.
The Farm FaMHealth project, an initiative by Dublin City University funded by Research Ireland, examined the experiences of 447 Irish farm family members.
According to the research, while the mental health struggles of primary farmers are well documented, family members experience similar challenges but often do not seek support until they reach a point of severe crisis.
The study found that more than 99% of Irish farms operate as family enterprises. Among those surveyed, 68% were employed off-farm, with 57% working full-time, while 43% also carried out daily physical farm labour.
It also found that 60% had not sought help for mental health issues and that 30% had “low resilient coping” capacities.
Professor Siobhán O’Connor, Co-Principal Investigator of the project, said: “Previous research has focused almost exclusively on primary farmers.
“However, our qualitative phase showed that spouses and children face identical pressures. Because they don’t view themselves as the primary farm operator, they do not tend to engage with available supports.
“They suffer in silence, with many juggling off-farm employment and daily manual labour to keep the farm afloat.”
In response to the findings, researchers have developed a specialised mental health training programme.
The programme, which launches at the end of July, focuses on early prevention, help-seeking and daily mutual support rather than crisis management.
It is designed to help participants recognise early warning signs of stress, anxiety and depression, and will be delivered in both online and in-person formats to accommodate farm schedules.
The research team is encouraging farm family members in Co Leitrim to register for upcoming regional training sessions.
More information on the report, training dates and registration is available on the Farm FaMHealth project website.