Barriers to mental health help-seeking in veterinary professionals working in Australia and New Zealand: A preliminary cross-sectional analysis.

Autor:	Connolly CE; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia., Norris K; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia., Dawkins S; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia., Martin A; Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in veterinary science [Front Vet Sci] 2022 Nov 04; Vol. 9, pp. 1051571. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 04 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI:	10.3389/fvets.2022.1051571
Abstrakt:	Despite higher reported rates of mental ill-health than the general population, professionals working in the animal care industry have low reported rates of help-seeking behavior. Potential factors involved in veterinary professionals' reluctance to seek help include stigma toward mental ill-health, practical barriers to accessing supports, and a cultural normalization of symptoms in the industry. This preliminary study sought to explore these factors in a sample of veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and veterinary technicians and examine effects of gender, years' experience, and practice location. A total of 408 veterinary professionals working in Australia and New Zealand completed an online survey between June and December 2021 measuring perceived stigma, practical barriers to mental health help-seeking, perceptions of normalized psychopathology and sickness presenteeism. Results indicated moderate levels of both perceived stigma and barriers to mental health help-seeking. Interestingly, psycho/pathology (e.g., burnout, fatigue, and sickness presenteeism) was perceived to be a normalized aspect of the profession by majority of respondents. Although no effect of gender or geographic location were observed, stage of career did have an effect on findings. Early career veterinary professionals were identified as more vulnerable to perceived stigma and barriers to care. The practical and research implications of the findings are discussed and include the need for mental health to be more centrally incorporated into the veterinary curriculum and professional development. Also discussed is an agenda for future research aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of professionals working in the animal care industry. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2022 Connolly, Norris, Dawkins and Martin.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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