ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To mitigate mental health concerns of farmers, research is needed to investigate strategies that encourage help-seeking behavior in this population. This study attempts to identify those help-seeking strategies. Six mental health service options were examined. METHODS: A survey, implementing a best-worst scaling choice experiment, was disseminated to members of the Illinois Milk Producers Association. Two methods of analysis were conducted. The first, a count-based method, employs a simple count-based approach to measure the relative preferences for the six mental health service options in question. The second is more complex and employs a latent-class logit regression model to measure individual preferences. RESULTS: The mental-health service options, ranked in order from most preferred to least preferred were: 1) speak to family and friends, 2) keep it to myself, 3) utilize programs offered by agricultural organizations, 4) search online for self-help resources, 5) talk to a mental health professional, and 6) use "tele-health" support services. CONCLUSION: This study examined an important gap in the literature concerning help-seeking preferences of dairy farmers. It is the first to utilize a choice experiment approach to assess help-seeking preferences among this understudied population. Results provide important empirical evidence to support distinct categories of farmers who may be weighing options regarding how to best address their mental health concerns.
ABSTRACT
Equine life and health insurance policies provide coverage for veterinary expenses or the loss of use (or life) of a horse, making horse health care accessible to more owners. Utilizing a best-worst scaling choice experiment targeted to horse owners, the rate of insurance adoption is explored, along with factors influencing insurance decisions and willingness-to-pay for policy attributes. Results indicate owners with lower-valued horses prefer insurance policies which cover medical expenses and routine care, whereas owners with higher-valued horses are willing to pay higher premiums to insure the market value of a horse but are not willing to pay extra for programs covering routine care.
Subject(s)
Insurance, Health , Policy , Animals , HorsesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study utilized best-worst scaling and latent class analysis to assess mental health treatment preferences and identify subgroups of college student help seekers. METHOD: College students (N = 504; age: M = 20.3, 79.2% female) completed assessments of mental health treatment preferences, self-stigma, and distress. RESULTS: Students preferred utilizing friends and family, followed by professional mental health providers, self-help, keeping concerns to themselves, physicians, and lastly religious leaders. Latent class analyses identified four classes of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups of student help seekers include Formal Help Seekers who prefer professional mental health providers, Informal Help Seekers who prefer friends and family, Ambivalent Help Seekers who prefer family and friends but also keeping concerns to themselves, and Help Avoiders who prefer keeping concerns to themselves. Assessing treatment preferences among different student subgroups may constitute an initial step in identifying effective ways to address university-wide mental health concerns.
