Impact of dealing with bereaved clients on the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians

Abstract

Background Research has identified that members of the veterinary profession are at high risk of occupational stress, burnout, poor psychological wellbeing and an elevated rate of suicide. Although scholarly interest in veterinarians has increased in recent years, relatively few studies have specifically examined the emotional work in veterinary interactions and what effect dealing with companion animal owners' grief has on the wellbeing of veterinarians. The purpose of this study was to determine if dealing with bereaved clients affected the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians. The concept of compassion fatigue was explored, including whether veterinarians believed that their training had equipped them for communicating with grieving clients. Methods Veterinary surgeons registered in South Australia in 2015 were invited to complete an online survey, with 105 participants responding. Results Many participants, particularly female and younger veterinarians, were experiencing mild to severe psychological distress and nearly half of the sample was experiencing high to very high levels of compassion fatigue. No participants reported seeking psychological or other professional mental health support and the majority had not referred a grieving client to a psychologist or other mental health professional. A significant proportion of veterinarians felt their own mental health was affected by dealing with clients grieving the loss of a companion animal. Discussion The findings are discussed in terms of increasing the wellbeing of veterinarians through improved curriculum training and workplace health promotion, particularly considering the high suicide rate reported for the profession.

Veterinarians and impostor syndrome: an exploratory study

“…Despite the increased attention dedicated to veterinarian's mental health27 36–38 and the documented relationship between IS and negative mental health effects, there have been no studies exploring the prevalence of IS among veterinarians. This paper explores the prevalence of IS among an international sample of practising veterinarians.…”

The Gift: Ethically Indicated Euthanasia in Companion Animal Practice

“…The impact of performing ethically indicated euthanasia may therefore be different. In a study of South Australian veterinarians working with any species of companion animal ( n = 103), almost 40 per cent had “high” or “very high” scores on the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale (CFSS), yet there was no significant correlation between CFSS scores and frequency of euthanasia [ 26 ].…”

“…Euthanasia, including ethically indicated euthanasia, involves emotional labor for veterinary team members, who must manage their own emotions while supporting the client [ 26 , 34 ]. In a study of South Australian veterinarians ( n = 103), 40 per cent of respondents reported that their mental and/or physical health were impacted by interactions with clients grieving the loss of a companion animal [ 26 ].…”

Directions in Veterinary Social Work

“…Much of the research focusing on animal-related grief and bereavement has been in the area of grief subsequent to the death of the animal, while a lesser body of work has examined anticipatory grief (Moga, in press). Research has also focused on the extent to which veterinary personnel experience grief following the death of an animal in practice (Dow et al, 2019) and the receipt of training to address end-of-life decisionmaking (Dickinson, 2019;Littlewood et al, 2020). Growing bodies of research are focusing on the link between human and animal maltreatment and the wellbeing, or lack thereof, of veterinary care providers.…”