Abstract:
Background: Rubber production is an important component of the Sri Lankan economy. Prior reports
have raised concerns about poverty and poor physical and social living conditions among rubber
tappers. Objective: To assess rubber tappers’ psychological health and distress. Methods and Material:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 rubber tappers in two large rubber plantations in
southern Sri Lanka from September to November 2014. Structured questionnaires including the
Peradeniya Depression Scale (PDS) and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were
administered. The prevalences of depression and stress were calculated, including across
sociodemographic and work history variables of interest. Results: Each plantation contributed 150 of the
300 participants. The majority were women (n = 183, 61%) with a median age of 47 years (range 21 to
89). Based on the PDS, 9% of the rubber tappers screened positive for depression. While on the
PSS-10, 10% demonstrated a high level of perceived stress. On log-binomial regression, persons who
were widowed, divorced, or separated compared to being married had a higher prevalence of depression
and high stress. A higher prevalence of stress was found in Tamil versus Sinhalese as well as Christian
versus Buddhist participants. A higher prevalence of depression was seen in workers with over 30 years
of experience compared to less experienced counterparts. Conclusions: Depression was more common
in rubber tappers in this study than among other non-plantation Sri Lankan populations. Further research
is needed to elucidate factors associated with psychological distress and to foster support mechanisms
for the rubber tappers.
