Internal consistency study and exploratory factor analysis of the continuum of mental health scale CCHS-MH scale in farmers in Portugal

Abstract

Farmers are one of the occupational groups at significant risk of vulnerability in terms of mental health, with a prevalence of psychiatric morbidity as a result of the effects of global, national, regional, community and local factors. Identify which sociodemographic variables of farmers that interfere with their mental health. Quantitative,cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical-correlationalstudy. Data were collected from 155 farmers in the North and Central region of mainland Portugal, mostly male (52.9%), with an average age of 53.41 years (±14.04 years). The data collection instrument contains a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Continuous Mental Health Scale – CCHS-MH 2012. The sociodemographic variables with statistical significance are gender and the constitution of the household. Women and farmers with a 3-member household show better mental health. After performing the confirmatory factor analysis for a population of farmers and after the free analysis, two items (4 and 5) dropped because <0.44, but after varimax rotation these two were grouped to factor 3, the eliminated items approximated if the response (response trend) of factor 3. Participants in the mental health continuum have higher rates of social well-being and less emotional well-being, suggesting a mental health literacy policy that covers a whole set of laws, programs, financing, which are available to all farmers.