Farmer Stress & Coping: Qualitative Study from Hawaiʻi

This qualitative study explores the mental health challenges faced by Hawaiʻi farmers and allied agricultural producers, focusing on the main stressors they encountered and the coping mechanisms they employed. Through interviews with 77 farmers across all four counties, data revealed that significant stressors for Hawaiʻi farmers were legislative and policy issues, financial and economic concerns, as well as pests and diseases. Farmers employed various coping strategies to mitigate stress, primarily along the lines of behavioral, relational, and emotion-focused coping, as well as an orientation toward spirituality and engaging in philosophical perspectives. The data also revealed a communal “we” mind-state from a linguistic analysis that was important to well-being. Collectively, the findings point to the continual need for programs and services that enhance the well-being of farmers in Hawaiʻi and beyond, and emphasize the need for more holistic, integrated, and culturally grounded approaches that foster social connection.