The distinct role of performing euthanasia on depression and suicide in veterinarians.

Tran, Lily; Crane, Monique F.; Phillips, Jacqueline K.

doi:10.1037/a0035837

Cited by 65 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Frequency of euthanasia demonstrated no significant relationship to psychological distress or compassion fatigue, contrary to other findings in veterinarians and veterinary nurses . Performing euthanasia has been linked to higher work stress and lower job satisfaction not only in veterinarians but also animal care workers from other animal related industries whose role involves performing euthanasia .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 73%

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

et al. 2019

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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.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 73%

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

et al. 2019

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“…Recent assessments of occupational health in veterinarians have consistently demonstrated that adverse outcomes such as high job strain, burnout, depression, and suicide are widespread throughout this profession, and are largely attributed to a combination of both generic and specific occupational stressors (e.g., Tran, Crane & Phillips, ). Although many of the unique aspects of animal caregiving work encountered by veterinarians are also experienced by veterinary nurses, the latter remain a markedly under‐researched professional group with only one known study to date having examined occupational stress in these personnel using an established theoretical explanation of stress (Black, Winefield, & Chur‐Hansen, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 73%

“…For example, the psychological impact of performing euthanasia to relieve suffering in sick or injured animals is likely to differ as compared with performing euthanasia on healthy or treatable animals for reasons of human convenience. It has been established that euthanasia demands occurring in the latter context are usually opposed to workers’ vocational motivations (i.e., of working within the veterinary field in order to care for animals), and consequently produces a type of ‘moral stress’ commonly experienced as psychological strain (Crane, Bayl‐Smith, & Cartmill, ; Tran et al, ). Anecdotal reports also suggest that veterinary nurses’ continuous exposure to the suffering of animals as a result of ill‐health, injury, advancing age, trauma, abuse, or neglect contributes to significant emotional distress experienced by these personnel (e.g., Ayl, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Veterinary nurses' psychological well‐being: The impact of patient suffering and death

Deacon

Brough

2017

Australian Journal of Psychology

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Objective: Preliminary evidence suggests veterinary nurses are an at-risk population for high levels of occupational stress. This study sought to advance knowledge of occupational stress in this under-researched professional group by applying the Job Demands-Resources model to assess predictors of psychological strain, work-related burnout, and work engagement. Method: Research participants consisted of 144 veterinary nurses employed within one Australian state (response rate of 41%). Data were obtained via an anonymous self-report questionnaire. All research participation was voluntary. Results: Analyses indicated the mean level of work-related burnout in this sample exceeded that of normative samples in human health-care professions. We also found that although both generic and occupation-specific job demands were significantly associated with levels of psychological strain and burnout, generic job demands accounted for a greater proportion of variance. Only direct effects were produced for the association of both workplace social support and job control with work engagement; no evidence was found for the moderating effects of these two job resources. Conclusions: The findings both validate and challenge the tenets of the Job DemandsResources explanation of occupation stress. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed. What is already known about this topic:• Preliminary evidence suggests that veterinary nurses are an at-risk population for high levels of occupational stress. • Emerging research directly comparing generic and specific job demands on stress-related outcomes has demonstrated that specific demands explain a greater proportion of variance. • Previous research suggests that euthanasia duties are a critical occupation-specific stressor impacting on the psychological well-being of these personnel. What this topic adds:• Findings indicate that high levels of psychological burnout are prevalent throughout this profession. • Both generic and occupation-specific job demands are important for stress-related outcomes, but generic job demands accounted for a greater proportion of variance. • The lack of association between euthanasia of animals with a good prognosis and stress-related outcomes suggest that it may be the overall frequency of euthanasia that is the most salient aspect of this stressor rather than the context in which it occurs.Occupational stress research rarely includes assessments of work demands centred on dealing with death, despite this being an extreme stressor and for some occupations a common experience. Although the deleterious effects of routine exposure to the death of patients on the psychological well-being of human health-care professionals has been recognised (Halbesleben, 2008), for veterinary health-care professionals the impact of such exposure-including the unique responsibility of euthanising patients for whom they have been providing care-is less well established. Research

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“…For example, euthanasia is part of working as a companion animal veterinarian. Involvement in decisions to end an animal's life can be an acute source of moral and emotional stress for veterinarians . Participants, most notably females in the early stages of training, ranked competency in euthanasia as highly important.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ opinions on welfare and ethics issues for companion animals in Australian and New Zealand veterinary schools

et al. 2017

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Australasian veterinary students placed more importance on competency in AWE issues associated with clinical practice (such as neutering and euthanasia) than on professional behaviours (such as over-servicing and animal breeding). However, we consider that emphasis should still be placed on developing graduate competency in the latter categories to reflect growing societal concerns about companion animal over-supply and inappropriate professional conduct.

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The distinct role of performing euthanasia on depression and suicide in veterinarians.

Cited by 65 publications

References 48 publications

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

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

Veterinary nurses' psychological well‐being: The impact of patient suffering and death

Students’ opinions on welfare and ethics issues for companion animals in Australian and New Zealand veterinary schools

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