Communication Apprehension and Willingness to Communicate in Veterinary Medicine Students: Implications for Mindfulness and Communication Training

ABSTRACT

Across two studies we investigated the relationship among mindfulness, rumination, depression, stress, anxiety, communication apprehension, and willingness to communicate among veterinary medicine students. Study 1 tested a hypothesized path model of the relationship with 148 third-year students. Study 2 confirmed the path model with second sample of 160 third-year students. Mindfulness had a direct negative relationship with communication apprehension and a direct positive relationship with willingness to communicate, whereas depression, anxiety, and stress each had a direct negative relationship with communication apprehension and willingness to communicate. Rumination was also directly associated with communication apprehension and willingness to communicate, and it was mediated through depression, anxiety, and stress. These findings suggest mindfulness training may mitigate depression, anxiety, and stress and their attendant effects on communication apprehension and willingness to communicate.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication apprehension
• mindfulness
• depression
• stress
• anxiety
• rumination
• veterinary medicine

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial interest or benefit this research

Notes

1. Please contact the corresponding author for a copy of the hypothesized path model.

2. The predominantly female sample for Study 1 and Study reflects the gender make up veterinary medicine. 61.7% of practicing veterinarians are female (Burns, 2019) and 78% of veterinary medicine students are female (Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges). We do want to acknowledge that previous research has shown gendered differences in the variables of interest in the present studies, namely Willingness to Communicate and Communication Apprehension (Donovan & MacIntyre, 2004). Future research should consider gender as a mediating factor in communication in veterinary medicine.

3. Contact the corresponding author for Correlation tables for Study 1 and Study 2.

4. This is not a universal model of communication training. There are some veterinary education programs that deliver communication training across all three years of the curriculum. Our data were collected at an institution that only delivers communication training in the third year of the curriculum.