Citation

Griffin GM, Floyd EG, Dali SS, Dunaway CM, Genereaux SH, Olson AL. J. Agromed. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Dartmouth COOP Primary Care Based Research Network , Lebanon , NH , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1059924X.2019.1656130

PMID

31475637

Abstract

Background: Hispanic dairy farm workers have risk factors for mental health concerns. There is insufficient study of their mental health needs. Methods: We conducted focus groups at five farms. We quantified the burden of depressive symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9) during three seasons of mobile clinics on farm sites. Results: Focus groups revealed that sources of stress included working conditions, language barriers, fear of deportation, and distance from family. Depression screening found that the rate of mild depressive symptoms ranged from 0% to 3.2%. No individual scored higher than mild depression. Discussion: Rates of depressive symptoms were substantially lower than in the general US population, which may be explained by a population that self-selects for resilience. Our mixed qualitative and quantitative data acquisition provided us a more robust and comprehensive understanding of our population's mental health concerns than using one method alone.

Language: en

Keywords

Dairy farm workers; Hispanic; Spanish-speaking; depression; mental health