Hardiness as a Mediator of the Effects of Stressors and Strains on Reported Illnesses and Relational Difficulties in Farm and Ranch Families

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Abstract
A greater understanding of the health‐protective and ‐promotive aspects of family hardiness may assist health professionals in preventing some illnesses or relational problems or in lessening their effects on the family. Farm and ranch families may be at particular risk due to their unique stressors and strains, including social and geographic isolation, unstable incomes, lack of or distance from community resources, and, perhaps, societal stereotypes that support the notion that these families have fewer stresses and problems than urban families. This study tested three path models focusing on the direct and indirect effects of stressors (i.e., life changes) and strains (daily frustrations), in relation to physical illness and relational difficulties (family discord and distress) reported by 188 farm and ranch husbands and wives. Three dimensions of family hardiness served as intervening variables: commitment, challenge, and control. A series of multiple regression analyses revealed that family stressors and strains unique to farming and ranching were strongly predictive of reported family illnesses, discord, and distress. Although the buffering effects of family hardiness in relation to reported illness were minimal, the hardiness dimension of challenge did have a strong mediating influence on reported family discord. In addition, the commitment and control dimensions had mediating effects on family distress. The results suggest that while stressors and strains unique to farming and ranching can have negative outcomes, hardier families may be more apt to respond to stress as challenging and growth producing rather than as debilitating.