Hughes-Barton Donna, Skaczkowski Gemma, Starick Hannah, Gunn Kate M
IIMPACT in Health, Department of Rural Health, Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
J Agromedicine. 2025 Jul;30(3):640-663. doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2024.2418816. Epub 2024 Dec 24.
Farmers have higher risk of suicide than the general working population but are less likely to seek help from mainstream mental health services. Farmer-focused sources of support such as farmer helplines may be a viable alternative, and several currently operate internationally. However, it is unclear whether these specialized helplines collectively tend to be used and are acceptable or effective in reducing farmers' distress. This review aimed to fill this important knowledge gap.
The PRISMA 2020 guidelines, in consultation with the extension for scoping reviews, guided the review process. The search included 13 academic databases and grey literature via Google.
The database search yielded 1,337 initial results and a Google search strategy resulted in 620 links to investigate. Data extraction was sought from 28 papers and 332 online links. We identified 35 unique helplines operating across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, India, and Austria. Farmers do use helplines when experiencing stress; however, we found little empirical evidence of the acceptability or effectiveness of helplines. Anecdotal evidence suggested farmers are more likely to trust telephone support services operated by people who understand the farming way of life.
Research in this area is scant but promising. Farmers and farming communities will use farmer helplines in times of elevated stress. However, there is a pressing need for more rigorous evaluation studies to determine their effectiveness in this at-risk group. Further, when designing farmer helplines, careful consideration should be given to the extent to which those answering calls understand farming.
农民自杀风险高于一般劳动人口，但向主流心理健康服务机构求助的可能性较小。以农民为重点的支持渠道，如农民求助热线，可能是一种可行的替代方式，目前有几条热线在国际上运营。然而，尚不清楚这些专门的求助热线总体上是否被使用，以及在减轻农民痛苦方面是否可接受或有效。本综述旨在填补这一重要的知识空白。
2020年《系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目》（PRISMA）指南，并参考范围综述扩展版，指导了综述过程。搜索包括13个学术数据库和通过谷歌搜索的灰色文献。
数据库搜索产生了1337条初始结果，谷歌搜索策略产生了620个链接以供调查。从28篇论文和332个在线链接中提取数据。我们确定了在加拿大、美国、英国、爱尔兰、澳大利亚、印度和奥地利运营的35条独特的求助热线。农民在经历压力时确实会使用求助热线；然而，我们几乎没有找到关于求助热线可接受性或有效性的实证证据。轶事证据表明，农民更有可能信任由了解农业生活方式的人运营的电话支持服务。
该领域的研究较少，但很有前景。农民和农业社区在压力增大时会使用农民求助热线。然而，迫切需要更严格的评估研究来确定其对这一高危群体的有效性。此外，在设计农民求助热线时，应仔细考虑接听电话的人员对农业的了解程度。
