‘You don't want to be seen to be struggling’; identifying sociocultural barriers and facilitators for Irish farmers’ mental health help‐seeking

Abstract

Farmers face significant mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Additionally, rural populations widely endorse stoic values which can be a barrier to farmers’ help‐seeking. In this study, we identified sociocultural barriers and facilitators to Irish farmers’ mental health help‐seeking. We conducted 17 semi‐structured interviews with Irish farmers and three focus groups and one interview with farming stakeholders in Ireland online. Interviews and focus groups followed a conversational, semi‐structured schedule concerning Irish farmers’ help‐seeking beliefs and behaviours, and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified three central barriers to farmers’ help‐seeking: resilience, pride in being a ‘good farmer’ and help‐seeking stigma. We also identified one central barrier/facilitator: slowly increasing mental health awareness. Across all themes, participants described Irish farmers of all genders, particularly older men, as suffering from a self‐reliant cycle of masculine stoicism. Our findings add to the growing ‘good farmer’ literature by illustrating how farmers’ health practices can be both a source of social capital and a detriment to their own health and help‐seeking.