Participation Requested for Survey on Farmer Stress

Dear Farmer,

My name is Janna Imel and I am a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University where I am working toward my doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology. I am the daughter and granddaughter of farmers and grew up on my family farm in Kentucky, which is what ignited my passion for this specific research study. I am interested in knowing what types of stressors are unique to farmers, how American farmers cope with farm-related stressors, and how these stressors are associated with the mental and physical wellbeing of American farmers of all ages. I would greatly appreciate your assistance with my project.

You are invited to participate in this study, called “From Sunrise to Sunset: A Lifespan Approach to the Mental Health of America’s Farmers.” If you agree to participate you are asked to do the following:

  • Click the following link which will take you to the survey: https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=JPX73C9L3X
  • Read through the “Informed Consent” at the start of the survey and click “Agree” if you wish to participate. You may also choose to fill out the “Raffle Entry and Research Results” form at the end of the survey if you would like to be entered into a raffle for 1 of 4 $50 gift cards and/or if you wish to receive a summary of the results from this study once it is completed. Please note that your “Raffle and Research Results” form will be separated from your survey responses once I receive the packet.

Please complete the survey by 12/1/18

Your experiences and opinions will provide much needed information about the working conditions of American farmers, as well as how being a farmer may be associated with changes in physical and mental health. Farmers are an underserved population and this research is the first step in being able to identify potential areas where farmers can be helped. Participation in this project is voluntary and your answers are completely anonymous. Each survey set is numbered, but numbers will not be linked to participant names and information, so this survey is completely confidential. It should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes of your time to complete the survey.

To express gratitude to everyone for completing surveys, I will conduct a drawing in which four participants will receive a $50 gift card. If you wish to participate in the drawing, please fill out the “Raffle and Research Results” form, where you will be able to write your name, phone number, and address. The form will be immediately separated from your survey upon receipt to ensure that there will be no way to link your name to your answers. If you know of other farmers who may be interested and willing to participate in this study, please provide them my contact information below and I will send them a survey either via mail or email. For each farmer you refer to the study, you will receive an additional entry into the raffle.

Please feel free to reach out to me by phone or email if you have any questions about the survey or study.

Sincerely,

Janna Imel, M.S.

Phone: 606-465-1576

Email: JLIMEL@VCU.EDU

Hi Janna,

We hardly have any american farmers in this board.