Changes in agricultural context and mental health of farmers in different regions of Thailand during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: Thailand's agricultural sector is crucial to the country's development and economy. The COVID-19 pandemic caused negative effects on the agricultural context and the mental health of Thai farmers. This study aimed to compare changes in the agricultural context and mental health among farmers in different regions of Thailand during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also investigated the determinants associated with the mental health of farmers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out from December 2021 to January 2022 in Thailand, with 1,676 Thai farmers interviewed. RESULTS: The results found that the Central region found to be the highest impact of increased agrochemical costs (91.0%) and decreased crop yields (92.0%), while the highest in the North and the North-East was found in decreased crop product prices (84.0 and 66.4%). In the context of economic status, the greatest impact in the Central region was found to be in increased household expense (96.3%), while the highest impact in the North, the North-East, and the South was found in decreased household income (91.5, 80.0, and 69.8%, respectively). Regarding mental health, the Central region was found to be the highest prevalence of extremely high stress and severe depression symptoms (18.3 and 23.4%), whereas the South region was found to be the highest prevalence of severe anxiety symptoms (7.4%). Interestingly, the multivariate analysis also found that the agricultural factors associated with mental health were decreased working days, changes in agrochemical type and crop cultivation, decreased crop rotation, increased difficulty in accessing agrochemicals and markets, decreased crop yields, and increased household debt. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study are useful for government and relevant organizations to plan and implement supportive measures and improve mental health services to mitigate both short and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic suit on the regions. Specific measures and facilities should be tailored toward the target regions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14464-3.