TY - JOUR
T1 - Discerning the effect of the relationship between disclosure and responsiveness on depression, anxiety, and compassion fatigue among veterinarians
AU - Reif-Stice, Carrie
AU - Smith-Frigerio, Sarah
AU - Lawson, Cheryl Auch
AU - Venette, Steven
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Veterinary Medical Association. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - OBJECTIVE Previous scholarship has posited that veterinarians experience more anxiety, depression, and compassion fatigue symptoms than the general population. Disclosure of psychological stressors, combined with positive responsiveness, may reduce psychological symptoms. The goal of this study was to test the relationships between disclosure, responsiveness, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. SAMPLE 230 veterinarians from a private Facebook online support group. PROCEDURES Veterinarians from a private Facebook online support group were administered a cross-sectional survey using established scales measuring disclosure, responsiveness, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. All scales reported strong reliability and validity. RESULTS Pearson correlations and mediation models were used to analyze the data. A small, negative, direct relationship between disclosure and depression was found, yet the more interesting results were that responsiveness had a significant, indirect effect on the relationship between disclosure and compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Disclosure may be related to decreased experiences of compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression when responsiveness is also present. Veterinarians may benefit from improved mental well-being knowing that there are opportunities to disclose concerns to peers. Additionally, fellow veterinarians can benefit from understanding how to respond to disclosures in a positive, nonstigmatizing manner.
AB - OBJECTIVE Previous scholarship has posited that veterinarians experience more anxiety, depression, and compassion fatigue symptoms than the general population. Disclosure of psychological stressors, combined with positive responsiveness, may reduce psychological symptoms. The goal of this study was to test the relationships between disclosure, responsiveness, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. SAMPLE 230 veterinarians from a private Facebook online support group. PROCEDURES Veterinarians from a private Facebook online support group were administered a cross-sectional survey using established scales measuring disclosure, responsiveness, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. All scales reported strong reliability and validity. RESULTS Pearson correlations and mediation models were used to analyze the data. A small, negative, direct relationship between disclosure and depression was found, yet the more interesting results were that responsiveness had a significant, indirect effect on the relationship between disclosure and compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Disclosure may be related to decreased experiences of compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression when responsiveness is also present. Veterinarians may benefit from improved mental well-being knowing that there are opportunities to disclose concerns to peers. Additionally, fellow veterinarians can benefit from understanding how to respond to disclosures in a positive, nonstigmatizing manner.
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U2 - 10.2460/javma.22.08.0359
DO - 10.2460/javma.22.08.0359
M3 - Article
C2 - 36706015
AN - SCOPUS:85150653857
SN - 0003-1488
VL - 261
SP - 551
EP - 558
JO - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
JF - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
IS - 4
ER -