Association Between Well‐Being and Occupational Class in Small Businesses in the Rural United States.

Purpose: To examine the possible differences in psychological distress, depressive symptoms, level of stress, productivity, and anxiety among employees in blue‐collar and white‐collar occupational settings of small businesses in rural areas of the United States. Methods: Cross‐sectional surveys were...

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Publicado en:Journal of Rural Health Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 1 - 14
Autores principales: Adhikari, Laxmi D., Wagle, Sampada, Katare, Bhagyashree
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Spring2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Spring2026
      vid: 42
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
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        10.1111/jrh.70172
        194917734
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        atl: Association Between Well‐Being and Occupational Class in Small Businesses in the Rural United States.
      aug:
        au:
          Adhikari, Laxmi D.
          Wagle, Sampada
          Katare, Bhagyashree
        affil: Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette Indiana, , USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Psychological Well-Being
          Business United States
          Rural Areas
          Occupations and Professions United States
          Social Class
          Stress, Occupational
          Psychological Distress
          Blue Collar Workers Psychosocial Factors
          White Collar Workers Psychosocial Factors
          Funding Source
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Descriptive Statistics
          United States
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Multiple Linear Regression
          Anxiety
          Depression
          Health Policy
          Cognition
          Workload
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Coefficient alpha
          Questionnaires
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Purpose: To examine the possible differences in psychological distress, depressive symptoms, level of stress, productivity, and anxiety among employees in blue‐collar and white‐collar occupational settings of small businesses in rural areas of the United States. Methods: Cross‐sectional surveys were employed. Data were collected in 2024 from 1910 employees aged 18 years or older working in rural small businesses across the 48 contiguous US states, randomly selected from the panel maintained by the online survey company. Multiple linear regression and a linear probability model were used to assess the association between occupational class and employees' mental well‐being. Findings: Employees in the blue‐collar industry reported more frequent depressive symptoms (0.212, p < 0.01) and a higher level of anxiety before work (0.994, p < 0.01). Employees in the white‐collar industry had a 7.9% higher probability of having work‐related stress. However, no significant differences were observed in psychological distress, productivity, or work anxiety among employees in both blue‐collar and white‐collar industries. Demographic disparities were also observed in both occupational classes. Older employees were more productive. Work‐related stress and anxiety were also significantly lower among older employees (50 to 64 years old and above). Female employees experienced depressive symptoms more frequently in blue‐collar industries and reported greater work stress in white‐collar industries. Conclusion: Occupational classes often shape employees' work perceptions, influencing their productivity and overall well‐being. Understanding these class‐based differences is essential to promoting employee well‐being in rural small business settings in the United States.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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