Helping Men Manage Stress on the Farm

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  University of Texas at Tyler. Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Description:
  To everyone in agriculture, we say THANK YOU! You keep the farm moving and the world turning. Although, we feel it is necessary to recognize the immense pressure that accompanies this lifestyle. Currently, many farmers and ranchers are struggling to cope with the stresses of COVID. If I had a nickel every time I heard someone say, "I'm just ready for 2020 to be over". My response would be, "Aren't we all?" However, we must realize that, "long before the pandemic hit, farmers and ranchers were struggling". (Managing Stress in Farm Country, 2020). The life of a farmer has always come with it's fair share of stress. For most, mental health is not on the top of the priority list. Specifically, male farmers are not always apt to seek the help they need due to these 4 traditional attitudes about masculinity: 1. Men should not be feminine ("no sissy stuff'}. 2. Men should strive to be respected for successful achievement ("the bi wheel"). 3. Men should never show weakness ("the sturdy oak"). 4. Men should seek adventure and risk ("give 'em hell"). (Trannel, 2018). This traditional view of being male causes many men to hesitate to seek help. For example, "some men are taught that masculine power, dominance, competition, and control are essential to prnving one's masculinity; that vulnerabilities, feelings, and emotions in men are signs of femininity and are to be avoided; that masculine control of self, others, and environment are essential for men to feel safe, secure, and comfortable; and that men seeking help and support from others is a sign of weakness, vulnerability, and potential incompetence." (Trannel, 2018). Here are real life examples of how men sought the support they needed to deal with the stress in their life. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Communicable Diseases Health Promotion Men Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Safety Coronavirus COVID-19 Health Promotion Mental Health Safety Education Stress
• Publisher:
  The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061948
• Citation:
  Monthly Safety Blast. Tyler, TX: The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education, 2020 Dec; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Monthly Safety Blast
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:40f61640350ae51db275613149d1a1b89bc2e91aa1fd323a0fd3bb6e51fe32d2b379a134ecc5602e62ce846ea88e38a2dbab34ab65977ebec2a4d36ea1a05bcc
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225285/cdc_225285_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1004.48 KB ]