Assessing Mental Health Concerns of Spanish-Speaking Dairy Farm Workers

Background: Hispanic dairy farm workers have risk factors for mental health concerns. There is insufficient study of their mental health needs. Methods: We conducted focus groups at five farms. We quantified the burden of depressive symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9) during three seasons of mobile clinics on farm sites. Results: Focus groups revealed that sources of stress included working conditions, language barriers, fear of deportation, and distance from family. Depression screening found that the rate of mild depressive symptoms ranged from 0% to 3.2%. No individual scored higher than mild depression. Discussion: Rates of depressive symptoms were substantially lower than in the general US population, which may be explained by a population that self-selects for resilience. Our mixed qualitative and quantitative data acquisition provided us a more robust and comprehensive understanding of our population's mental health concerns than using one method alone.