Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
Subst Use Misuse. 2024;59(12):1812-1819. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2383594. Epub 2024 Aug 1.
People in agriculture face unique stressors and occupational hazards, and relatively little is known about substance use in this population. The purpose of this study was to describe substance use among farmers in Illinois.
We conducted a mail survey of Illinois farmers that included the Brief ASSIST to assess substance use for lifetime and past three-month use of ten different substances. The survey also included questions about farming characteristics, mental health, stress, coping, social support, and demographic characteristics. We used chi-square and non-parametric tests to assess group differences.
Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and sedatives were most reported as used for a lifetime and in the past three months. About three-quarters of the sample had recently used alcohol. Recent tobacco use was associated with not being married, less education, and less concern about climate-related farm stress. Recent sedative use was associated with greater concern about isolation-related farm stress. People who reported multiple substance use were at a greater risk for suicide and were more likely to meet the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. None of the participants reported recent use of cocaine, heroin, inhalants, or hallucinogens.
Specific social and cultural aspects of farming and farm communities may contribute to substance use among people working in agriculture. Future research can help to better understand this intersection and make recommendations for programs and resources to promote adaptive coping strategies.
农业从业者面临独特的压力源和职业危害，而关于该人群的物质使用情况，人们知之甚少。本研究旨在描述伊利诺伊州农民的物质使用情况。
我们对伊利诺伊州的农民进行了邮寄调查，其中包括简要评估工具，以评估十种不同物质的终生和过去三个月的使用情况。该调查还包括关于农业特征、心理健康、压力、应对方式、社会支持和人口统计学特征的问题。我们使用卡方检验和非参数检验来评估组间差异。
酒精、烟草、大麻和镇静剂是报告最多的终生和过去三个月使用的物质。大约四分之三的样本最近使用过酒精。最近使用烟草与未婚、受教育程度较低以及对与气候相关的农场压力关注较少有关。最近使用镇静剂与对与隔离相关的农场压力的关注程度较高有关。报告多种物质使用的人自杀风险更高，更有可能符合广泛性焦虑障碍的标准。没有参与者报告最近使用可卡因、海洛因、吸入剂或致幻剂。
农业工作者的物质使用可能与农业和农场社区的特定社会和文化方面有关。未来的研究可以帮助更好地理解这一交叉点，并为促进适应性应对策略的计划和资源提出建议。
