THE EFFECT OF THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON ANIMAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS: COMPARING MENTAL HEALTH IN A STRESSFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR BLACK PERSONS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR TO WHITE PEOPLE
Embargo until
2023-05-01
Date
2022-05-02
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Objectives: The goals of this study are to 1) identify any differences in mental health concerns
by race/ethnicity in veterinary and animal care worker (VACW) populations. 2) Inform interventions, improve access to existing support structures, and increase knowledge of psychosocial stressors in these populations.
Procedures: Secondary analysis was conducted on data obtained from a mixed-methods study
exploring VACW populations readiness and preparedness to respond to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. We extracted data from responses of 1,433 study participants who reported
having mental health concerns and stratified by race, age, gender, job role, region, and time of survey completion. These stratified groups were further analyzed to assess common “themes”
of mental health concerns mentioned in open-ended responses using guided theme analysis. The final number of participants describing their mental health concerns was 712.
Results: The majority of participants cited stress (26.1%), abusive clients (24.3%),
overworked/long hours (16.0%), and burnout (11.8%) as mental health concerns. Participants were also most commonly female (90.6%), within the 30-39 age range (33.9%), white (89.9%),
small animal workers (75.7%), in the Northeastern region (24.6%), and Non-Hispanic (89.5%) compared to the survey population. Non-white participants were more concerned with burnout
(16.0%) compared to white participants (15.3%).
Clinical Relevance: Most participants had mental health concerns. A distribution of participants more comparable to Census numbers are needed for better analysis. Trends may be explained by preexisting stress in the veterinary field as well as stigma against mental health among racial minorities. Veterinary practices should implement intervention strategies to combat stigma, prevent further stress, and develop trainings to mitigate negative mental health outcomes.
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Keywords
veterinarian, animal care worker, mental health, COVID-19, pandemic, stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, abusive clients, suicide, depression, overworked, anxiety, URM, minorities