The psychological wellbeing within the veterinary profession in Sweden

The veterinary profession seems to be particularly affected by mental health problems than other occupational groups, primarily a consequence of exposure to various sources of psychological distress that is common within the profession (e.g., euthanasia administration, and client interactions). This article is the first to investigate the association between work-specific factors and wellbeing in the veterinary profession in Sweden. A cross-sectional survey sampled 280 (256 females) Sweden-registered veterinarians and nurses (235 veterinarians, 45 veterinary nurses). Multiple platforms and methods were used to increase diversity and inclusiveness in the sample. In this study, we investigated the associations between psychological wellbeing by including variables from several studies that have previously been associated with decreased wellbeing within the veterinary profession in order to get a more comprehensive picture of factors that may contribute to increased risk of mental illness. Results showed that, after adjusting for the influence of psychosocial working environment factors, except for variables related to euthanasia which were not associated with decreased wellbeing, measures indexing difficult client interactions were, on the other hand, associated with decreased wellbeing. Thus, negative experiences from client interactions suggest that these could be candidates for the development and maintenance of poor wellbeing among individuals within the veterinary profession. This research can potentially assist in designing more targeted intervention studies and serve educational purposes for both staff and future professionals.