A Cross-sectional Study of Mental Health and Well-being and their Associations in the UK Veterinary Profession

摘要

Veterinary surgeons are at high risk of suicide, with a proportional mortality ratio around four times that of the general population and approximately twice that of other healthcare professions. There has been much speculation regarding possible mechanisms underlying increased suicide risk in the profession but little empirical research, and the relative contribution of mental ill-health and well-being is uncertain. This cross-sectional study assesses anxiety and depressive symptoms, alcohol consumption, suicidal ideation, positive mental well-being, perceptions of psychosocial working conditions, and work-home interaction, through a postal questionnaire survey of a large stratified random sample of veterinary surgeons practising within the UK.