By Bruce Cochrane.
A researcher with the University of Guelph says, while some stress can be beneficial, extreme stress will create problems on several levels.
Researchers at the Ontario Veterinary College are analyzing data gathered through a survey of Canadian farmers on stress, the results of which will be used to develop resources to help farmers cope with stress.
Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, says there's been little research done looking at the mental well being of farmers in Canada.
Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton-University of Guelph:
With stress it should be noted that some stress is good.
It can help us get out of a dangerous situation or it can motivate us to perform but sometimes stress can get out of hand and when it does I think you'd be hard pressed to find a part of our entire being that isn't negatively impacted by high prolonged stress.
We know that stress can affect us physically, mentally and it impacts our thoughts and our behaviors.
Physically it can cause headache, muscle tension, fatigue, changes in our sex drive, high blood pressure, it can increase risk of disease like heart disease, it can affect our immune systems and make us more prone to getting infectious diseases.
Prolonged stress can cause us to be anxious, irritable, angry, sad or depressed.
It can cause us to have difficulty concentrating.
It may result in us turning to substances like tobacco or alcohol or drugs or overeating or other bad habits so the effects are pretty widespread.
It affects not just us but it can also result in us treating others poorly, even the people we love so It affects us and it affects those around us, our relationships, our work and our quality of life.
Dr. Jones-Bitton notes farming is recognized as one of the most stressful occupations world-wide.
The analysis of survey data is expected to be completed by the end of May.
Source: Farmscape