Vets in Mind

Providing quality information about mental health and wellness for the veterinary community

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Published papers relating
to the mental health and welfare
of the veterinary community since 1983

Click into each paper to read more.

 

2026

 

2025

 

2024

 

2023

  • Practical capability among veterinarians: Preliminary evidence of the importance of access to lethal medications in the workplace. Archives of Suicide Research, 27(4), 1351. – Houtsma, C., Bond, A. E., & Anestis, M. D. (2023)
  • Special Report: How Companion Animals Can Participate in Treatment of Mental Illness – Nancy R. Gee, Ph.D., Lisa Townsend, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., and Robert L. Findling, M.D., M.B.A. (2023)
  • Veterinarian suicide rates are very high. Why?  24 October 2023 Being Human – BBC Reel
  • Job Challenges Leading to High Rates of Suicide for American Veterinarians Job Challenges Leading to High Rates of Suicide for American Veterinarians – WorkersCompensation.com – Chriss Swaney (2023)
  • Professional responsibility in the borderlands: Facing irreconcilable accountability regimes in veterinary work. Human Relations Vol. 76, Iss. 12,  (Dec 2023): 1904-1939. DOI:10.1177/00187267221120161 – Pas, Berber R; Introna, Lucas D; Wolters, Rinske; Vosselman, Ed.
  • Well-being of veterinarians in rural and urban areas. Front. Vet. Sci. 10:1276229. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1276229 – Gonschor C, Pohl R, Woitha U, Thielmann B and Böckelmann I (2023)
  • The Consequences of Heroization for Exploitation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000365 – Stanley, M. L., & Kay, A. C. (2023, October 26).
  • “A narrative review of occupational scheduling that impacts fatigue and recovery relevant to veterinarian well-being.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 64.7 (2023): 674-683. – Steffey, Michele A., et al.
  • “A narrative review of the physiology and health effects of burnout associated with veterinarian-pertinent occupational stressors.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10 (2023). – Steffey, Michele A., et al.
  • “Veterinarian burnout demographics and organizational impacts: a narrative review” Front. Vet. Sci., Volume 10 – 2023, July (2023) – Steffey Michele A et al.
  • “A qualitative study exploring the perceived effects of veterinarians’ mental health on provision of care.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10 (2023): 1064932. – Campbell, Megan, et al.
  • “Veterinary Behavioral Health Issues Associated with Disaster Response-Results of Global Survey.” Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 38.S1 (2023): s115-s116. – Vroegindewey, Gary.
  • “Cross-sectional survey of sleep, fatigue and mental health in veterinary anaesthesia personnel.” Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 50.4 (2023): 315-324. – Ho, Nicola TZ, et al.
  • “Veterinarians’ Personality, Job Satisfaction, and Wellbeing.” Advances in Small Animal Care (2023). – Volk, John, Ulrich Schimmack, and Elizabeth Strand.
  • “Mental health in the veterinary profession: an individual or organisational focus?.” Australian veterinary journal 101.1-2 (2023): 41-48. – Hilton, K. R., K. J. Burke, and T. Signal.
  • “The unintended detrimental effects of pursuing a professional vocation: The case of veterinarians.” Plos one 18.5 (2023): e0284583. – Palma, Marco A., et al.
  • “Intra‐professional stress—demonstrating veterinarian identity in Hong Kong.” Australian Veterinary Journal 101.1-2 (2023): 49-57. – Chan, C. K. Y., J. S. K. Lai, and P. W. C. Wong.
  • “Discerning the effect of the relationship between disclosure and responsiveness on depression, anxiety, and compassion fatigue among veterinarians.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 261.4 (2023): 551-558. – Reif-Stice, Carrie, et al.
  • “The Mental Health Epidemic in Veterinary Medicine: An Analysis of Burnout in the Veterinary Field.” (2023). – Eckstein, Hannah.
  • “Highly stressful events and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among veterinary professionals: Prevalence and associations with mental health and job-related outcomes.” Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (2023). – Kramper, Sharon, et al.
  • “A Love–Hate Relationship with What I Do”: Protecting the Mental Health of Animal Care Workers.” Anthrozoös 36.3 (2023): 489-508. – Paul, Nicola K., Suzanne M. Cosh, and Amy D. Lykins.
  • “Latent burnout profiles of veterinarians in Canada: Findings from a cross‐sectional study.” Veterinary Record 192.2 (2023): no-no. – Jones‐Bitton, Andria, et al.
  • “Suicide in veterinary medicine: A literature review.” Veterinary world 16.6 (2023): 1266. – da Silva, Carina Rodrigues, et al.
  • “The Conditional Effects of Emotion Regulation on the Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Suicidal Behaviors in Veterinary Students.” (2023). – Johnson, Sara Carroll.
  • “Veterinary Social Work.” The Routledge International Handbook of Human-Animal Interactions and Anthrozoology. Routledge, 2023. 360-372. – Linden, Pamela.
  • Veterinarian Suicide Prevention: Examining Doctorate-Level Veterinary Medicine Programs Through a Qualitative Content Analysis. Wilmington University (Delaware), 2023. – Kelly, Tiana.

 

2022 

  • Barriers to mental health help-seeking in veterinary professionals working in Australia and New Zealand: A preliminary cross-sectional analysis – Caitlin Elizabeth Connolly 1, Kimberley Norris 1, Sarah Dawkins 1, Angela Martin 2 
  • Experiences and impact of moral injury in U.K. veterinary professional wellbeing – Victoria Williamson, Dominic Murphy, Neil Greenberg (April 2022)
  • Client incivility and its effects on veterinary wellbeing. Veterinary Record 190:4, pages 157-159. – Dianne Gardner. (2022)
  • Mental health in the veterinary profession: an individual or organisational focus?, Australian Veterinary Journal, 10.1111/avj.13215, 101, 1-2, (41-48), (2022) – KR Hilton, KJ Burke, T Signal.
  • “Stress and strain among veterinarians: a scoping review.” Irish Veterinary Journal 75.1 (2022): 15. – Pohl, Robert, et al.
  • “Effects of a cognitive-behavioral skills building program on the mental health outcomes and healthy lifestyle behaviors of veterinary medicine students.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 260.7 (2022): 789-795. – Melnyk, Bernadette M., et al.
  • “A taxonomy of occupational and organisational stressors and protectors of mental health reported by veterinary professionals in Australasia.” Australian veterinary journal 100.8 (2022): 367-376. – Connolly, C. E., et al.
  • “Depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk in German veterinary medical students compared to the German general population.” PLoS one 17.8 (2022): e0270912. – Schunter, Nadine, et al.
  • “Mental health impact of mass depopulation of swine on veterinarians during COVID-19 infrastructure breakdown.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9 (2022): 842585. – Baysinger, Angela, and Lori R. Kogan.
  • “Obligated to Keep Things Under Control”: Sociocultural Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Services Among Veterinary Medical Students.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 49.5 (2022): 662-677. – Hancock, Tamara S., and Kerry M. Karaffa.
  • “Nature, nurture, and mental health Part 1: The influence of genetics, psychology, and biology.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 63.4 (2022): 427. – Stoewen, Debbie L.
  • “Prevalence and individual and work-related factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours among veterinarians in Norway: a cross-sectional, nationwide survey-based study (the NORVET study).” BMJ open 12.1 (2022): e055827. – Dalum, Helene Seljenes, Reidar Tyssen, and Erlend Hem.
  • “Quality of life of veterinary residents in AVMA-Recognized Veterinary Specialty Organizations using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument.” Plos one 17.5 (2022): e0268343. – Jaworski, Jennifer L., Lori A. Thompson, and Hsin-Yi Weng.
  • “Reviewing a decade of change for veterinarians: past, present and gaps in researching stress, coping and mental health risks.” Animals 12.22 (2022): 3199. – Stetina, Birgit Ursula, and Christine Krouzecky.
  • “Reviewing a decade of change for veterinarians: past, present and gaps in researching stress, coping and mental health risks.” Animals 12.22 (2022): 3199. – Stetina, Birgit Ursula, and Christine Krouzecky.
  • “Attachment loss and trauma: A descriptive phenomenological analysis of suicidality and depression in veterinarians.” Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy 14.7 (2022): 1237. – Waters, Dana, et al.
  • “Improving help-seeking for mental health among veterinarians and veterinary students.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 63.12 (2022): 1258. – Holowaychuk, Marie K.

2021 

  • Why do veterinarians leave clinical practice? A qualitative study using thematic analysis. Veterinary Record 188:1. – Alejandra I. Arbe Montoya, Susan J. Hazel, Susan M. Matthew & Michelle L. McArthur. (2021)
  • “Challenging suicide, burnout, and depression among veterinary practitioners and students: text mining and topics modelling analysis of the scientific literature.” BMC veterinary research 17 (2021): 1-10. – Brscic, Marta, et al.
  • “Suicide warning signs and what to do.” Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice 51.5 (2021): 1053-1060. – Moutier, Christine, and Maggie G. Mortali.

2020

  • Factors associated with job satisfaction and engagement among credentialed small animal veterinary technicians in the United States, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 10.2460/javma.257.5.537, 257, 5, (537-545), (2020) – David J. Liss, Marie E. Kerl, Chia-Lin Tsai.
  • “Prevalence of mental health outcomes among Canadian veterinarians.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 256.3 (2020): 365-375. – Perret, Jennifer L., et al.
  • “Association of demographic, career, and lifestyle factors with resilience and association of resilience with mental health outcomes in veterinarians in Canada.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 257.10 (2020): 1057-1068. – Perret, Jennifer L., et al.
  • “Association of demographic, career, and lifestyle factors with resilience and association of resilience with mental health outcomes in veterinarians in Canada.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 257.10 (2020): 1057-1068. – Perret, Jennifer L., et al.
  • “A Systematic Review of Mental Health–Improving Interventions in Veterinary Students.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 47.6 (2020): 745-758. – Liu, Alvin R., and Ingrid F. van Gelderen.
  • “Current insights in veterinarians’ psychological wellbeing.” New Zealand veterinary journal 68.1 (2020): 3-12. – Moir, F. M., and A. R. K. Van den Brink.
  • “An evaluation of a veterinary-specific mental health service.” Occupational medicine 70.3 (2020): 169-175. – McKenzie, A., et al.
  • “Burnout, somatic complaints, and suicidal ideations among veterinarians: Development and validation of the Veterinarians Stressors Inventory.” Journal of veterinary behavior 37 (2020): 48-55. – Andela, Marie.

2019

  • “Moral distress in veterinarians.” Veterinary Record 185.20 (2019): 631-631. – Arbe Montoya, Alejandra I., et al.
  • “Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 254.1 (2019): 104-112. – Tomasi, Suzanne E., et al.
  • “Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent among veterinary professionals from 2003 through 2014.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 255.5 (2019): 595-608. – Witte, Tracy K., et al.
  • “Burnout and compassion fatigue within veterinary nursing: a literature review.” Veterinary Nursing Journal 34.10 (2019): 266-268. – Thompson-Hughes, Jodie.
  • “Sources of work stress in veterinary practice in the UK.” Veterinary Record 184.19 (2019): 588-588. – O’Connor, Elinor.

2017

  • An Exploration of the Relationship between Psychological Capital and Depression among First-Year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Students, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 10.3138/jvme.0116-006R, 44, 1, (50-62), (2017) – Dorothy J. Bakker, Sean T. Lyons, Peter D. Conlon.
  • “I’ve been a long time leaving”: The role of limited skill transferability in increasing suicide‐related cognitions and behavior in veterinarians.” Suicide and Life‐threatening Behavior 47.3 (2017): 309-320. – Crane, Monique F., Jacqueline K. Phillips, and Eyal Karin.
  • “Toward an evidence-based approach to stress management for veterinarians and veterinary students.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 251.9 (2017): 1002-1004. – Kim, Richard W., et al.

2016  

  • A psycho-educational intervention program for veterinary practitioners: learning to cope with being a veterinarian. Diss. University of Southern Queensland, 2016. – Hamilton, Nadine D.

2015

  • The Life of Meaning: A Model of the Positive Contributions to Well-Being from Veterinary Work, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 10.3138/jvme.1014-097R1, 42, 3, (184-193), (2015). – Martin A. Cake, Melinda A. Bell, Naomi Bickley, David J. Bartram.
  • “Risk factors for suicide, attitudes toward mental illness, and practice-related stressors among US veterinarians.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 247.8 (2015): 945-955. – Nett, Randall J., et al.
  • “A systematic review of the effects of euthanasia and occupational stress in personnel working with animals in animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and biomedical research facilities.” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 247.10 (2015): 1121-1130. – Scotney, Rebekah L., Deirdre McLaughlin, and Helen L. Keates.
  • “Suicide in veterinary medicine: Let’s talk about it.” The Canadian Veterinary Journal 56.1 (2015): 89. - Stoewen, Debbie L.

2014

  • The role of veterinary team effectiveness in job satisfaction and burnout in companion animal veterinary clinics, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 10.2460/javma.245.5.513, 245, 5, (513-524), (2014). – Irene C. Moore, Jason B. Coe, Cindy L. Adams, Peter D. Conlon, Jan M. Sargeant.


2013 

  • Mental health in female veterinarians: effects of working hours and having children, Australian Veterinary Journal, 10.1111/avj.12037, 91, 4, (123-130), (2013). – A Shirangi, L Fritschi, CDJ Holman, D Morrison.

2012 

  • A Study of Depression and Anxiety, General Health, and Academic Performance in Three Cohorts of Veterinary Medical Students across the First Three Semesters of Veterinary School, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 10.3138/jvme.0712-065R, 39, 4, (341-358), (2012). – Allison M.J. Reisbig, Jared A. Danielson, Tsui-Feng Wu, McArthur Hafen, Ashley Krienert, Destiny Girard, Jessica Garlock.
  • “Suicidal behaviour and psychosocial problems in veterinary surgeons: a systematic review.” Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology 47 (2012): 223-240. – Platt, Belinda, et al.
  • “Suicidality in the veterinary profession.” Crisis (2012) – Platt, Belinda, et al.
  • “Failure to acknowledge high suicide risk among veterinarians.” Journal of veterinary medical education 39.1 (2012): 79-82. – Skipper, Gregory E., and Jerome B. Williams.

2010  

  • Suicidal behaviour and psychosocial problems in veterinary surgeons: a systematic review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 47:2, pages 223-240. – Belinda Platt, Keith Hawton, Sue Simkin & Richard J. Mellanby. (2010)
  • “Veterinary surgeons and suicide: a structured review of possible influences on increased risk.” Veterinary Record 166.13 (2010): 388-397. – Bartram, David J., and David S. Baldwin.
  • “Systematic review of the prevalence of suicide in veterinary surgeons.” Occupational Medicine 60.6 (2010): 436-446. – Platt, B., et al.
  • “Suicide by occupation: does access to means increase the risk?.” Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 44.5 (2010): 429-434. – Skegg, Keren, et al.
  • “Evaluation of suicide awareness programmes delivered to veterinary undergraduates and academic staff.” Veterinary Record 167.19 (2010): 730-734. – Mellanby, Richard J., et al.

2009  

  • “A cross-sectional study of mental health and well-being and their associations in the UK veterinary profession.” Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology 44 (2009): 1075-1085. – Bartram, David J., Ghasem Yadegarfar, and David S. Baldwin.

 2008  

  • “Veterinary surgeons and suicide: influences, opportunities and research directions.” Veterinary Record 162.2 (2008): 36-40. – Bartram, David J., and David S. Baldwin.
  • “The first-year veterinary student and mental health: the role of common stressors.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35.1 (2008): 102-109. – Hafen Jr, McArthur, et al.

2006  

  • Predictors of Depression and Anxiety in First-Year Veterinary Students: A Preliminary Report, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 10.3138/jvme.33.3.432, 33, 3, (432-440), (2006). – McArthur Hafen, Allison M.J. Reisbig, Mark B. White, Bonnie R. Rush.

1986  

  • “Job and non‐job activities, job satisfaction and mental health among veterinarians.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 7.4 (1986): 325-339. Doi: 10.1002/job.4030070406 – Hesketh, Beryl, and George Shouksmith.
  • Changing horses in mid-stream: job and life satisfactions for veterinarians. N Z Vet J. 1986 Sep;34(9):141-4. doi: 10.1080/00480169.1986.35328. – Shouksmith G, Hesketh B.

1983  

  • “Mortality among British veterinary surgeons.” Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 287.6398 (1983): 1017-1019. – Kinlen, L. J.