Research over the past two decades has examined farm stress. Financial and weather accounted for stresses felt by the majority of farmers. Research also found that stresses differ between the genders. Men tend to be more stressed by the farm operations; women by the family or interpersonal concerns.

In Maryland, research was conducted by faculty in the University of Maryland, Department of Family Studies to learn about responses to farm stress; life satisfaction; impact of urbanization, and desired services and programs among farm couples. Results revealed that men and women did differ on their responses to stress consistent with the national findings. Women working on and off the farm tended to have stresses with balancing work and family, commuting and chronic tiredness.²

Reactions to Change-as Loss-as Opportunity ³

Peoples' responses to changes can be reactive or proactive. Reactive responses are seen when change happens--then people respond or adapt. Reactive people may operate on the basis that change will never occur or that it will but chose to wait until change happens to react. This kind of change may be seen as a loss or threat. Proactive responses occur when people plan for change and see it as an opportunity. It is how the individuals within a family and the family as a unit interacts with change that impacts the outcome-the degree to which the individuals and the family survives and thrives.

A view of change as loss puts people into a grieving process which generally progresses in stages from shock and denial to anger, depression and detachment, dialogue and bargaining and onto acceptance. The ability to make decisions is impacted by the stage of grief. Depending on the size and seriousness of the change and the depth of grief, individuals and families may need help in managing their grief.

The view of change as opportunity still requires adjustments and may include resistance to change even when the respond is proactive. When approaching change as opportunity, information will be needed to move through phases or stages of making decisions and completing actions in response to change. Often that information may need to come from credible sources in the community in addition to information contained within the family.

Whether the response is proactive or reactive, people will likely feel pressures, find disagreement and experience internal and perhaps external conflict during the process. They will be challenged to draw upon their individual and family resources as they handle the response. Depending on the extent and timing of the change and their resources, families may need assistance in finding ways to manage the situation and find acceptable resolution.

When conditions in the farming or agriculturally related enterprises such as drought or flood bring losses in farming and family income, increases in debt, reduction in crops and gardens, or other changes, the response is most likely one of loss.

Community Support for Families

Depending on the extent of the real or perceived loss, families may need to turn to the community for understanding, information, counseling, and other support. Strong farm families, and those in other agricultural enterprises, can often draw upon their own internal resources to bounce back from most of the stresses and strains of life. But not always. When the stresses are more than ordinary, external assistance could make the difference in how the stress is handled. According to a recent national study, those families showing signs of needing help have preferences for the sources of that help-1) extended family; 2) friends and 3) others in the community.⁴

Dr. Hamilton McCubbin, a well-respected researcher in the field of family stress and resiliency, and his associates found that farm families want and seek several kinds of support:

1. Emotional Esteem - individuals want to be valued for who and what they are; they desire specific feedback.
2. Network - Farm families desire a connectedness to people who understand them; the amount of time spent together or distance between is not as important as the sense of reciprocity.
3. Appraisal - this type of support provides critical feedback about the good things they do as well as information to help make good decisions.
4. Altruism - providing support to others enhances individual self-esteem.

Overall, Dr. McCubbin suggests listening makes the difference. People want to talk about their problems and concerns without anyone offering solutions.⁵

Providing families seeking support with the opportunity to talk is therefore an important strategy. Providing them with information as they move through decision making is another strategy. Identifying families not seeking help but in need of support is still another. To identify such families requires the recognition of signs of stress-stress beyond that which the family can handle itself.

A Few Signs that a Farm Family may need Support

• Changes in routine-stopping attendance at houses of worship, community groups, special events.
• Increase in illness or accidents-increased numbers of health problems.
• Decline in personal, farm or home appearance-living and working space and human body neglected
• Decrease in care of livestock and pets--showing signs of neglect and/or abuse.
• Changes in children's behavior-acting out, experiencing academic declines, absences from school & youth activities, showing signs of neglect &/or abuse.

If supporters see signs that a family, or family members, need support, a tactful and caring approach can be made to the family as a whole or to individuals. If help is needed beyond what the supporter can give, the family could be referred to appropriate community resources--financial, legal, personal or family counseling.⁶

In This Together-For Whom the Bell Tolls

Families are part of a web of relationships that make up communities. When any family is impacted by conditions that affect its financial, social, emotional and/or physical well-being, the community affected. When the community is strong and able to support families through challenges and crises, then families stand a better chance of coming through tough times such as posed by drought and flood. When communities are not able to respond to families in need, then the long term viability of those communities is in question. As drought or flood takes their toil, and families call for support or are in need of help, we must not ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for you and for me. ⁷

Cooperative Extension Educators; mental health professionals; social service workers; financial planners and lenders; members of the faith community, associations and groups can play vital roles in supporting farm families, and those in agriculturally related enterprise, survive and thrive.

⁷ Braun, B., Theobald, R., Stiliger, R., "Resilient Communities-Resilient Families in the 21st Century," Journal of Family Consumer Sciences, June, l999, pp. 41-43 Return to top