REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
This article is part of the Research TopicRoots of Resilience: Exploring Community-Focused Mental Health Through PlaceView all 3 articles
Mental health among farmers in Germany: A scoping review
Provisionally accepted
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Background: Farmers are exposed to various stressors, including economic uncertainty, climate variability, and regulatory burdens, all of which can negatively impact their mental health. While international research has documented elevated rates of mental illness among farmers, little is known about the mental health status of farmers in Germany. This scoping review aims to synthesize current scientific knowledge on mental health outcomes among farmers in Germany. Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews and using the Population Concept Context (PCC) framework. Inclusion criteria were: a) language: English or German, b) publication between 2014 and 2024, c) original study, d) population: farmers (at least 50 % within the study population), e) concept: mental health and f) context: Germany. Web of Science and Google Scholar were chosen as databases, complemented by expert input and reference checking of relevant studies. Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria: six cross-sectional studies, three randomized controlled trials, and two qualitative studies. The outcomes reported were: depressive symptoms, anxiety and burnout symptoms, sleep disorders and perceived stress. Identified stressors linked to the outcomes included economic difficulties, bureaucratic pressure, climate-related challenges, and family conflict. However, most studies showed methodological limitations and heterogeneity regarding definitions and instruments. No data were found on suicide among German farmers. Discussion: Compared to international research, evidence on mental health of farmers in Germany remains limited. The few mental health findings among German farmers align with those from international studies. Further epidemiological studies and context-specific interventions are needed to address mental health of farmers in Germany. Registration Review: OSF-Link: https://osf.io/yagbp/?view_only=
Keywords: Agriculture, Farmers, Mental Health, Depression, stress, burnout, Germany
Received: 08 Sep 2025; Accepted: 30 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Heming, Scheepers, Schmidt-Stiedenroth and Angerer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Louisa Scheepers
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