Characteristics and Contextual Stressors in Farmer and Agricultural Worker Suicides in Georgia from 2008–2015

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bayakly, Rana ; Scheyett, Anna ; Whitaker, Michael
• Description:
  Farmers and agricultural workers are at elevated risk of suicide. The majority of farmer suicide research has been completed in Australia; less is known about farmer suicide in the United States and in specific regions of the country. This study addressed this knowledge gap by examining suicide data for farmers and agricultural workers from the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System, 2008-2015. We found that farmers who died by suicide were predominantly male, White, non-Hispanic, and older, with slightly fewer than half being married, and half having a high school education or less. The most common means of death was gunshot wound (78%), followed by hanging (16%). The contextual factors most frequently reported to be associated with suicide were relationship conflict or loss (25%) and health problems (25%), including chronic pain and decreased function. Financial problems (12%) and substance use (11%) also were associated with suicides. In 21% of cases, the individual was reported to have made prior suicidal threats; however, family members were reported to often discount these indicators. These findings suggest that suicide prevention programs might include suicide education for community members in rural areas. Rural health care providers could be trained in suicide risk detection and referral actions for farmers with illness, pain, or loss of functioning, and service providers who may be aware of farmer relationship problems-clergy, funeral home directors-also could be trained. Additional research is needed to gain deeper understanding of risk factors for farmer suicide and to design and test possible interventions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Suicide
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Worker Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Suicide Farmer Mental Health Psychological Stress Psychosocial Factors Rural
• ISSN:
  1935-942X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  12 pdf pages
• Volume:
  43
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066509
• Citation:
  J Rural Ment Health 2019 Apr; 43(2-3):61-72
• Contact Point Address:
  Anna Scheyett, School of Social Work, University of Georgia, 279 Williams Street, Athens, GA 30602
• Email:
  amscheye@uga.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Georgia State Department of Public Health, Atlanta
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Rural Mental Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3700c7e1e50f829b75ce530ad07b7c7d9e6bf1d4c4fca1729c80195484f93549d19892e8e4bfc561f90ea39cbeb74f527b391b1331a81f3a1defe7af8a085a3a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230636/cdc_230636_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 151.74 KB ]