Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms by Sociodemographic and Employment Characteristics in a National Sample of Hired Crop Workers: Evidence from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (2018-2022)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alterman, Toni ; Timberlake, Jeffrey M. ; Flores-Redd, Madeline ; Carroll, Daniel J.
• Description:
  Background: Hired crop workers face harsh working conditions, including physical, economic, and social challenges. We present a population-based assessment of anxiety symptoms among a large national sample of hired crop workers in the United States. Methods: In-person interviews were conducted with 6108 crop workers during 2018-2022. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-2) questions were included in the National Agricultural Workers Survey to provide weighted prevalences of anxiety symptoms and prevalence ratios for the association between anxiety symptoms and crop worker demographics and employment characteristics. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 20.6% for scoring = 1 on the GAD-2, and 7.7% for scoring ≥ 3 on the GAD-2. Women had a 73% excess risk of any anxiety (GAD-2 = 1) and an 84% higher risk of severe anxiety (GAD-2 ≥ 3) than men. Men with a medium level of English language ability had a 28%-31% increased risk of anxiety symptoms compared to those with a lower English language ability. Not having workers' compensation insurance was associated with a 56% reduced risk of having severe anxiety symptoms among men. However, total family income, working directly for an agricultural employer or farm labor contractor, method of payment, unemployment insurance, and health insurance were not significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Compared to working in California, men working in the Northeast showed a 57% reduced risk of more severe anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Based on a large national sample of hired crop workers, nearly one in four crop workers suffered from anxiety, with women having a much higher prevalence than men, suggesting the need for mental health services for this population.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Anxiety Disorders Mental Health Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Agricultural Workers; Anxiety; Crop Workers; Farmworkers; Mental Health; National Survey; Occupational Health Population Based Studies; Agricultural Workers; Demographic Characteristics; Mental Health; Agriculture; Farm Workers;
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Indiana ; District of Columbia ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Divison of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071115
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2026 Jan; 69(1):61-76
• Email:
  jeffrey.timberlake@uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9ba6bbe9bc93dd5fedd30b04414c75112e9e5b70a206351332344468d2a901d0653aa7721c4e237235de20709f7af963d273acc14454baceb63f868bebf9006c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/257891/cdc_257891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 281.33 KB ]