Psychological health among livestock owners, the potential effect of large carnivores

IF 5.7 1区社会学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY

Journal of Rural Studies Pub Date : 2025-09-10 DOI:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103863

Anders Flykt , Jens Frank , Maria Johansson

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Abstract

Sustainable wildlife management should, amongst others, safeguard human health. This study concerns rural residents’ perceived quality of life and the potential effect of large carnivores (LCs) on psychological health outcomes (life satisfaction, anxiety symptoms, and exhaustion). One group of rural residents that appears to be especially vulnerable when the number and range of LCs increase is sheep owners. 279 participants (rural residents without livestock n = 114, livestock owners without sheep n = 103, and sheep owners n = 62) completed a survey on rural living also including established instruments to assess psychological health outcomes. Rural residents without livestock were mainly positive while sheep owners were mainly negative towards presence of LCs. Sheep owners reported lower life satisfaction, more anxiety symptoms, and more exhaustion symptoms as compared to other livestock owners and rural residents as a group. However elevated stress and anxiety symptoms among sheep owners seem to be an outcome of accumulated stress due not only to the presence of LCs, but also due to problems to reach the break even point economically. The results are discussed in terms of the overall situation for livestock owner.

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家畜主人的心理健康，大型食肉动物的潜在影响

除其他外，可持续的野生动物管理应保障人类健康。本研究关注农村居民的感知生活质量和大型食肉动物对心理健康结果（生活满意度、焦虑症状和疲惫）的潜在影响。当LCs的数量和范围增加时，一个农村居民群体似乎特别容易受到伤害，那就是牧羊人。279名参与者（没有牲畜的农村居民n = 114，没有羊的牲畜主人n = 103，羊主人n = 62）完成了一项关于农村生活的调查，其中还包括评估心理健康结果的既定工具。无牲畜的农村居民对LCs的存在主要持肯定态度，而养羊的人对LCs的存在主要持否定态度。作为一个群体，与其他牲畜所有者和农村居民相比，羊主人报告的生活满意度较低，焦虑症状更多，疲惫症状更多。然而，羊主的压力和焦虑症状升高似乎是压力积累的结果，不仅是因为LCs的存在，还因为在经济上达到收支平衡点的问题。从畜主的总体情况出发，对结果进行了讨论。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Rural Studies Multiple-

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

9.80%

发文量

286

期刊介绍： The Journal of Rural Studies publishes research articles relating to such rural issues as society, demography, housing, employment, transport, services, land-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation. The focus is on those areas encompassing extensive land-use, with small-scale and diffuse settlement patterns and communities linked into the surrounding landscape and milieux. Particular emphasis will be given to aspects of planning policy and management. The journal is international and interdisciplinary in scope and content.