Resilience, Loneliness, and Mental Well-Being in the UK Farming Community
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Farmers and their families are at risk of loneliness due to frequent solitary working, geographical isolation, and narrow social networks. These circumstances compromise the mental well-being of farming communities, highlighting the need for a better understanding of protective psychological factors. Resilience may serve as a pathway between the negative effects of loneliness and mental well-being; however, evidence of its role in agricultural populations is scarce. This study considers whether resilience mediates the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in the UK farming community. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey collected data from 320 members of the UK farming community (39.4% males; 59.4% females, 1.2% prefer not to say; Median age = 43.1 years). The convenience sample was collected through online and paper surveys and promoted via social media, farming groups, auction marts, and agricultural organizations. Participants completed the Brief Resilience Scale, Loneliness RULS-6 scale, and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (Short). RESULTS: Over half of participants (54.5%) scored within a range for mental well-being consistent with possible mild or probable clinical depression. Higher loneliness was associated with lower resilience and mental well-being, whilst higher resilience was related to higher mental well-being. A regression-based mediation analysis with 1,000 bootstrap samples (without covariates) revealed that resilience partially mediates the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in farming community members. CONCLUSION: This study provides vital evidence of the mediating role that resilience plays in the relationship between loneliness and mental well-being in UK farming community members. Our findings emphasize the importance of resilience-building as a key mechanism to support the well-documented mental well-being challenges faced by people in farming communities. These findings add to the limited but growing body of evidence that supports the development of targeted interventions that integrate both resilience-building and loneliness reduction as a comprehensive support package. Our study demonstrates that addressing these factors in tandem is essential for improving the mental well-being of UK farming communities, ensuring people receive the necessary tools and resources to foster strength and connection.
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Graville, A. (2026) · The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension · doi:10.1080/1389224x.2026.2726153
- Authors
- Kyle, S. N., Dunne, S., & Barkus, E.
- Affiliations
- Northumbria University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Kyle, Sarah Nyczaj
- Venue
- Journal of Agromedicine
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2025-11-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 224-234
- ISSN
- 1059-924X (ISSN-L)
- 1545-0813
- OpenAlex
- W4415807439
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2
- FWCI
- 2.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Agromedicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Agriculture and Farm Safety
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Keywords
- resilience, loneliness, psychological well-being, farmers, agricultural communities, mediation, depression, social isolation, rural mental health, resilience interventions
- MeSH terms
- Farmers, Adult, Aged, Agriculture, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Loneliness, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Resilience, Psychological, Young Adult
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