Depressive Symptoms Among Latino Farmworkers Across the Agricultural Season: Structural and Situational Influences
Author: Grzywacz, Joseph G.
Date Published: 2010
This study uses data obtained at monthly intervals across one 4-month agricultural season from a large sample of Latino farmworkers in North Carolina (N=288) to document variation in depressive symptoms across the agricultural season and to indicate structural and situational factors associated with mental health trajectories across time. Depressive symptoms generally followed a U-shaped distribution across the season, but there was substantial variation in this patters. Structural stressors like marital status and situational stressors like the pace of work, crowded living situations, and concerns about documentation predicted depressive symptoms. The pattern of results suggests that strategies to address mental health problems in this vulnerable population will require coordinated action at the individual and social level.
Date Published: 2010
This study uses data obtained at monthly intervals across one 4-month agricultural season from a large sample of Latino farmworkers in North Carolina (N=288) to document variation in depressive symptoms across the agricultural season and to indicate structural and situational factors associated with mental health trajectories across time. Depressive symptoms generally followed a U-shaped distribution across the season, but there was substantial variation in this patters. Structural stressors like marital status and situational stressors like the pace of work, crowded living situations, and concerns about documentation predicted depressive symptoms. The pattern of results suggests that strategies to address mental health problems in this vulnerable population will require coordinated action at the individual and social level.
