Journal of Rural Mental Health, Vol 49(1), Jan 2025, 21-32; doi:10.1037/rmh0000274
This study characterized the mental health of rural agricultural community members during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, including associations between mental health and COVID-19 protective practices, perceptions of effectiveness of protective practices, and opinions about COVID-19. Agricultural producers or stakeholders (N = 1,876) completed an online survey between April and July 2020. Data are restricted to rural respondents only (N = 1,566). Descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to examine differences in depression, anxiety, and self-rated mental health (SRMH) by demographic characteristics, physical health, and COVID-19-related protective practices, perceptions of effectiveness, and opinions. Results showed that 9.2% indicated fair or poor SRMH, 13.2% met the criteria for depression, and 18.7% met the criteria for anxiety. Depression, anxiety, and fair/poor SRMH were all significantly associated with less belief that social distancing, covering one’s cough/sneeze, and wearing face masks were effective against COVID-19. Participants with probable depressive disorder had less agreement that COVID-19 was a serious illness, and participants with probable anxiety disorder or fair/poor SRMH were significantly less likely to agree that they knew what to do if they experienced COVID-19 symptoms. COVID-19 has required mass engagement in public health measures to reduce the spread of the disease. Understanding mental health across essential rural industries, such as agriculture, is critical to tailoring relevant and appropriate resources and responses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
