Assessing the Factor Structure of the Farm/Ranch Stress Inventory in a Sample of LGBTQ+ Farmers Across the United States

TL;DR

This study examines how stress manifests among LGBTQ+ farmers in the U.S., finding that stress factors differ from general farming populations.

Contribution

The study identifies a revised six-component stress model specific to LGBTQ+ farmers, highlighting the need for inclusive stress assessment tools.

Findings

A six-component stress structure was identified, including Cultural Isolation and Social and Safety Dynamics.

The findings diverge from the original five-factor model of farm stress.

The results suggest that stress measures should account for cultural and social factors in LGBTQ+ farming communities.

Abstract

Farmers face disproportionately high levels of stress, which has implications for their mental health and well-being. Notably, existing measures of farm stress have not attended to variations in stress based on identity-related experiences. This study investigated the factor structure of the Farm/Ranch Stress Inventory (FRSI) among LGBTQ+ farmers in the United States to see whether the factors were consistent with previous studies. We surveyed the experiences of 148 LGBTQ+ farmers from across the U.S. and used principal components analysis to analyze the factor structure of the FRSI. A scree plot, parallel analysis, variance explained, and interpretability factors were considered to determine the best-fitting solution. Our analysis revealed a six-component structure: Family and Finances, Operational Challenges and Sustainability, Long-Term Farming Viability, Social and Safety Dynamics, Logistical Circumstances, and Cultural Isolation, which diverged from the original five-factor model of Finances, Government and External Stress, Work Stress, Operation Stress, and Isolation. This study highlights that measures of stress must consider the unique contexts that may shape the experiences of farm stress among diverse populations. The results suggest that future measures of farm stress used with LGBTQ+ farmers might consider cultural and social factors in particular to better understand their experiences of stress.