Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children
Background Personal, interpersonal and organisational factors have been suggested as possible causes of stress, anxiety and depression for veterinarians. We used established psychologicalscales to measure (1) levels of distress and work-related stress (anxiety and depression) and (2) the demographic...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Australian Veterinary Association
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41049 |
| _version_ | 1848756036975984640 |
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| author | Shirangi, A. Fritschi, Lin Holman, C D. Morrison, D. |
| author_facet | Shirangi, A. Fritschi, Lin Holman, C D. Morrison, D. |
| author_sort | Shirangi, A. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background Personal, interpersonal and organisational factors have been suggested as possible causes of stress, anxiety and depression for veterinarians. We used established psychologicalscales to measure (1) levels of distress and work-related stress (anxiety and depression) and (2) the demographic and work characteristics of female veterinarians in relation to anxiety, depressionand mental health.Methods A national cross-sectional survey of a cohort population was conducted and self-administered questionnaires were received from 1017 female veterinarians who completed the mental health section of the survey. Using linear and logistic regression analyses, we examined demographic and work-related factors associated with overall stress measured by the General Health Questionnaire scale and the Affective Well-Being scale (Anxiety-Contentment Axis and Depression-Enthusiasm Axis).Results More than one-third (37%) of the sample was suffering ‘minor psychological distress’, suggesting the stressful nature of veterinary practice. Women with two or more children had lessanxiety and depression compared with those who had never been pregnant or were childless. Longer working hours were associated with increased anxiety and depression in female veterinariansoverall and in stratified samples of women with and without children.Conclusion Among the work characteristics of veterinary practice, long working hours may have a direct effect on a veterinarian’s health in terms of anxiety, depression and mental health. The finding also indicates that women with two or more children have less anxiety and depression than women who have never been pregnant or childless women. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:05:49Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-41049 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:05:49Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Australian Veterinary Association |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-410492017-02-28T01:48:39Z Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children Shirangi, A. Fritschi, Lin Holman, C D. Morrison, D. working hours mental health anxiety stress children depression veterinarians Background Personal, interpersonal and organisational factors have been suggested as possible causes of stress, anxiety and depression for veterinarians. We used established psychologicalscales to measure (1) levels of distress and work-related stress (anxiety and depression) and (2) the demographic and work characteristics of female veterinarians in relation to anxiety, depressionand mental health.Methods A national cross-sectional survey of a cohort population was conducted and self-administered questionnaires were received from 1017 female veterinarians who completed the mental health section of the survey. Using linear and logistic regression analyses, we examined demographic and work-related factors associated with overall stress measured by the General Health Questionnaire scale and the Affective Well-Being scale (Anxiety-Contentment Axis and Depression-Enthusiasm Axis).Results More than one-third (37%) of the sample was suffering ‘minor psychological distress’, suggesting the stressful nature of veterinary practice. Women with two or more children had lessanxiety and depression compared with those who had never been pregnant or were childless. Longer working hours were associated with increased anxiety and depression in female veterinariansoverall and in stratified samples of women with and without children.Conclusion Among the work characteristics of veterinary practice, long working hours may have a direct effect on a veterinarian’s health in terms of anxiety, depression and mental health. The finding also indicates that women with two or more children have less anxiety and depression than women who have never been pregnant or childless women. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41049 Australian Veterinary Association restricted |
| spellingShingle | working hours mental health anxiety stress children depression veterinarians Shirangi, A. Fritschi, Lin Holman, C D. Morrison, D. Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title | Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title_full | Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title_fullStr | Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title_short | Mental Health in Female Veterinarians: Effects of Working Hours and Having Children |
| title_sort | mental health in female veterinarians: effects of working hours and having children |
| topic | working hours mental health anxiety stress children depression veterinarians |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41049 |