Identifying and Describing Mental Health Stigma Among Agricultural Youth Directors: Does Stigma Influence Practices?

Objectives: This exploratory study aims to: 1) evaluate mental health stigma levels among agricultural youth directors, 2) examine the influence of professional characteristics on stigma, and 3) investigate the relationship between agricultural youth directors' stigma levels and their self-efficacy.

Methods: An online survey was administered from March to May 2022 to 642 agricultural youth directors in Illinois who work with youth aged 1-19. Directors' personal and perceived stigmas toward mental illness were measured using the Depression Stigma Scale. Directors' self-efficacy (perceived level of knowledge and confidence) across 19 mental health topics was measured using a 3-point Likert scale. Analyses were conducted by generating descriptive statistics and performing Mann-Whitney U tests on the data.

Results: The median personal depression stigma score was 7.57 (SD = 8.02). Our analyses identified significantly higher personal depression stigma scores among men, FFA advisors, agricultural educators, and those lacking personal experience with mental illness. A lack of self-efficacy correlated significantly with increased personal stigma.

Conclusions: This study underscores the critical need for targeted educational interventions to reduce stigma among agricultural youth directors and enchance mental health literacy. Anti-stigma and mental health literacy initiatives are essential for fostering a supportive environment that encourages open discussions about mental health issues with youth within the agricultural community.