This exploratory pilot study found that Florida farmworkers exhibited rates of moderate-to-severe anxiety, depression, and climate change psychological distress exceeding U.S. adult and Hispanic-adult benchmarks, with cross-sectional associations observed between heat-related illness symptoms and all three mental health outcomes.
Key Findings
Results
Rates of moderate-to-severe anxiety, depression, and climate change psychological distress among Florida farmworkers exceeded U.S. adult and Hispanic-adult benchmarks.
21% of participants had moderate-to-severe anxiety, 25% had moderate-to-severe depression, and 34% had climate change psychological distress.
Sample consisted of 53 adult farmworkers recruited in July 2024 through the Farmworker Association of Florida in Apopka and Pierson, Florida.
Participants were 58% female and 42% male.
Mental health was assessed using the PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), and CCPD scale (climate change psychological distress), verbally administered by community health workers.
Results
The number of same-day heat-related illness symptoms was cross-sectionally associated with all three mental health outcomes.
Associations between number of same-day HRI symptoms and each mental health outcome were statistically significant (all p < 0.05, unadjusted).
HRI symptoms were assessed using an eight-symptom HRI checklist.
Workday heat index was derived from the Florida Automated Weather Network.
Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and agricultural tenure in regression models.
The authors note that 'confidence intervals around regression estimates were wide, reflecting sparse-data instability rather than precise effect sizes.'
Results
Farmworkers who reported feeling discouraged from seeking hospital care due to Florida Senate Bill 1718 had significantly higher mean depression scores.
Participants discouraged from seeking hospital care due to S.B. 1718 had a mean PHQ-9 score of 6.59 compared to 3.00 for those who did not feel discouraged (p = 0.008).
S.B. 1718 is a Florida immigration policy; associations between perceived impacts of this bill and mental health outcomes were examined.
Two investigator-developed items were used to assess perceived impacts of S.B. 1718.
This association was identified through Fisher's exact tests and linear regression adjusted for age, sex, and agricultural tenure.
Methods
The study was designed as an exploratory pilot with cross-sectional methodology and a small sample size, limiting causal inference.
The sample size was 53 adult farmworkers.
Data were collected in July 2024 in a single cross-sectional assessment.
The authors state that 'larger, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these associations.'
Wide confidence intervals were attributed to 'sparse-data instability rather than precise effect sizes.'
Discussion
The study identifies mental health as an underrecognized dimension of farmworker occupational health at the intersection of heat exposure and immigration policy.
The authors describe this as addressing 'an empirical gap at the intersection of occupational heat exposure, immigration policy, and mental health among farmworkers in the southeastern United States.'
The study points to 'the need for integrated approaches that link heat-safety protections, routine mental health screening in community-based settings, and attention to the policy environments that shape healthcare access.'
Farmworkers were recruited through a community organization (Farmworker Association of Florida), and instruments were verbally administered to accommodate potential literacy barriers.
What This Means
This research suggests that farmworkers in Florida experience notably high rates of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and distress related to climate change, at levels higher than the general U.S. adult population and Hispanic adults specifically. In a group of 53 farmworkers surveyed in July 2024, about one in four had moderate-to-severe depression, one in five had moderate-to-severe anxiety, and one in three showed significant psychological distress related to climate change. The study also found that on days when farmworkers experienced more symptoms of heat-related illness—such as those tracked on an eight-item checklist—they also tended to report worse mental health outcomes across all three measures.
The research also examined the impact of a Florida immigration law (Senate Bill 1718) on farmworkers' health-seeking behavior. Farmworkers who said they felt discouraged from going to a hospital because of this law reported more than twice the average depression score compared to those who did not feel discouraged (6.59 vs. 3.00 on the PHQ-9 scale). This suggests that immigration policy may be shaping whether farmworkers feel safe accessing healthcare, with potential consequences for their mental well-being.
This research suggests that mental health is an overlooked part of farmworker health and safety, and that physical risks like heat and policy-related stressors like immigration enforcement may be interconnected with psychological well-being. Because this was a small pilot study conducted at one point in time, the findings are preliminary and the authors caution against drawing firm conclusions about cause and effect. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to better understand these relationships and to inform the design of health programs that address both physical and mental health needs in this population.
Castellano A, Puentes R, Ruiz E, Rodriguez I, Hertzberg V, McCauley L, et al.. (2026). Heat-related illness symptoms and mental health in Florida farmworkers.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1797619