The impact of stressors on the psychological wellbeing of New Zealand farmers and the development of an explanatory conceptual model

Stress has been identified as a major contributor to many work-related injuries and illnesses. Consequently, the topic has attracted a great deal of interest. This paper reports on a four-year study that is being conducted on stress using an explanatory psychological model. The model presented in this paper consists of the key stressors identified in the Edinburgh Farm Survey Inventory and in doing so provides a link between external pressures, stress and occupational injury and illness. The paper presents an overview of the theoretical framework and the relevant literature. It also presents preliminary results from interviews with New Zealand dairy and horticulture farmers and farming representatives carried out in phase one of the study. The paper concludes with the key themes that have emerged from the narrative data. Particular stressors reported include government policies and regulations, economic factors, excessive workloads and a lack of skilled labour.