Abstract
Amongst veterinarian professions there is a high prevalence of psychological distress. However, limited studies have investigated the effectiveness of psychological interventions on veterinarian populations. Evidence suggests that Compassion-Focused interventions are effective at reducing psychological distress, particularly in those with high self-criticism. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a two-week online compassionate imagery intervention in a veterinarian sample. A one-group repeated measures design was used with a sample of 128 veterinarians (81% Female, 70.3% Qualified Veterinary Surgeons, 29.7% Students, Mean Age= 32). Participants completed measures of perfectionism, resilience, work-related rumination, self-criticism, self-reassurance and fears of compassion at a two-week baseline, pre-intervention, post-intervention and at a two-week follow-up. Participants qualitatively answered written questions about their intervention experience post-intervention. A reason for dropout questionnaire was sent to participants who disengaged. Content analysis of the qualitative data found the intervention to be acceptable and beneficial to participants. However, overall study attrition was 50.8%. The occurrence of personal demands and Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) were reported as explanations for attrition. Minimal differences were found between participants who dropped out compared to those who completed the study. Perfectionism, work-related rumination and self-criticism significantly reduced over the intervention duration and maintained effects at follow-up, indicating suitability of such measures and potential effectiveness. Unlike other variables, fears of compassion reduced over the baseline period and intervention duration, questioning the validity of the FCS measure. Resilience and self-reassurance remained unchanged. Overall, in context of the unprecedented eruption of COVID-19, the intervention showed impressive feasibility and preliminary effectiveness. However results are limited by a one-group design and the occurrence of the pandemic. Continued feasibility research to establish lower attrition rates is recommended before progression to randomised controlled trial research is considered.