Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8331-2442

Date Available

7-15-2024

Year of Publication

2024

Degree Name

Master of Science in Community & Leadership Development

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Agriculture

Department/School/Program

Community and Leadership Development

First Advisor

Rebekah Epps

Abstract

Mental health is a growing concern in today’s youth (CDC, 2023). The suicide rates in youth have been on a rise, increasing the need for mental health literacy (CDC, 2023). Mental health is often neglected in people’s lives, especially in rural areas (Boyd et al., 2008). This study answers four research questions: 1) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' knowledge to recognize stress factors among rural communities and farmers? 2) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' knowledge to recognize stress factors in their life? 3) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' knowledge to recognize the impact stress factors has on their body and mind (i.e., stress awareness)? 4) Has the Building Rural Resilience: A Rural and Farm Youth Safety and Well-being Curriculum increased students' ability to manage their stress? The purpose of this study was to analyze student’s increased knowledge on the topics of recognizing farm stress, recognizing youth stress, recognizing the impacts stress has on their body and mind, and ability to manage stress in their lives before and after participating in the BRR curriculum. The 5-day curriculum was taught in three rural high schools in Kentucky. The study used a pre/post-test to answer each of the four research questions. There were 29 participants who completed the pre-test and 20 participants who completed the post-test. The results of the evaluation showed an increase in mean and an increase in the percent of change from the pre and post-test for the set of questions assessing student’s knowledge of stress and the set of questions assessing student’s knowledge on stress in rural communities and farmers. The results also showed a decrease in mean and a decrease in the percent of change from the pre and post-test for the set of questions assessing the impact of stress and the set of questions assessing stress management. The increase in the percent of change shows the curriculum was affective while the decrease in the percent of change shows the weak points of the curriculum and/or the evaluation.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.349

Funding Information

Raising Hope, 2023-2024

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