ABSTRACT
The restructuring of the economy brought changes in agriculture and in the American farmer's overall well-being. Because of multiple research interests and limitations on questionnaire space, the study focused on particular elements of Midwestern farmers' mental health during the economic and social turmoil of the 1980s. Both operators and their spouses were asked about their perceptions of economic hardship over the past five years in questions such as whether their own family's finances had improved, and whether their financial situation was better than that of other farmers in their area. Analysis of the perceptions and social psychological dispositions of Midwestern farmers has been both intriguing and tantalizing. The media, the American people, and others who observe rural America know that what happens in farming is not detached from what happens to the farmers' social and psychological well-being.
