Suicide Risk in Veterinary Professionals in Portugal: Prevalence of Psychological Symptoms, Burnout, and Compassion Fatigue

Abstract

Mental health problems and suicide risk among veterinarians and veterinary nurses are well documented in the literature. Data on veterinary assistants have been overlooked, however. In addition, information on Portuguese veterinary professionals is lacking. An online sample of 833 Portuguese veterinary professionals (443 veterinarians, 287 nurses, and 103 assistants) completed self-report questionnaires about suicide risk and mental health between December 2022 and March 2023. Descriptive analysis revealed that 3.5% of respondents attempted suicide during their lifetime; 17.2% experienced extremely severe depression and suicidal ideation; 17.8% and 27.0% experienced extremely severe stress and anxiety, respectively; and 27.4% and 27.7% reported burnout and compassion fatigue, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that professionals with a history of mental illness history; with current clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; and working more than 40 hours per week experienced greater levels of burnout, compassion fatigue, and suicide ideation. Other variables such as being a woman, being a veterinary assistant, and disagreeing with motives for euthanasia also predicted some mental health problems. Mental health problems in the Portuguese veterinary professionals are a major health concern. These professionals are at higher risk for suicide, and clinical implications and guidelines are discussed.

Keywords:

• Burnout
• compassion fatigue
• suicide ideation
• suicide risk
• veterinary professionals

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank all participants in the study and veterinary nurse Ana Seco, the Associação Portuguesa de Médicos Veterinários Especialistas em Animais de Companhia (APMVEAC), the Sindicato Nacional dos Médicos Veterinários (SNVC), the Associação de Enfermeiros Veterinários Portugueses (AEVP), and the Veterinária Atual for their valuable help in the sample recruitment process. The author would also like to thank their dear colleague Professor Olga Cunha for support and administrative help.

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE STATEMENT

All participants provided fully informed written consent at time of recruitment.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to ongoing studies but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The author declares no competing interests.

ETHICS APPROVAL STATEMENT

Ethical approval was sought and granted by the Deontological and Ethics Committee for Scientific Research of the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports of the Lusófona University of Porto.

Notes

1 In this manuscript, “veterinarian” refers to a person with a degree in veterinary medicine currently practicing veterinary medicine.

2 According to the Veterinary Medical Board, there were 6,922 veterinary doctors in 2022 in Portugal. The profession of veterinary nurse has been recognised since 2006, and there are no official data on the number of veterinary nurses in Portugal. The profession of veterinary assistant has been documented since 2000, but there are no official data on the number of veterinary assistants in Portugal.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by national funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UIDB/00050/2020).

Notes on contributors

Maria Manuela Peixoto

Maria Manuela Peixoto, Centro de Psicologia da Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.