'You don't want to be seen to be struggling'; identifying sociocultural barriers and facilitators for Irish farmers' mental health help-seeking

Farmers face significant mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Additionally, rural populations widely endorse stoic values which can be a barrier to farmers' help-seeking. In this study, we identified sociocultural barriers and facilitators to Irish farmers' mental health help-seeking. We conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with Irish farmers and three focus groups and one interview with farming stakeholders in Ireland online. Interviews and focus groups followed a conversational, semi-structured schedule concerning Irish farmers' help-seeking beliefs and behaviours, and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified three central barriers to farmers' help-seeking: resilience, pride in being a 'good farmer' and help-seeking stigma. We also identified one central barrier/facilitator: slowly increasing mental health awareness. Across all themes, participants described Irish farmers of all genders, particularly older men, as suffering from a self-reliant cycle of masculine stoicism. Our findings add to the growing 'good farmer' literature by illustrating how farmers' health practices can be both a source of social capital and a detriment to their own health and help-seeking.