Background

Veterinarians are at increased risk of psychological distress due to the regular experience of moral dilemmas, leading to compassion fatigue and burnout. This study explored the efficacy of a 2-week, modified online compassionate imagery intervention for improving veterinarian mental wellbeing.

Methods

A randomised controlled trial design was used with two parallel arms (intervention vs. wait-list control group). One hundred and sixty-two students and qualified veterinarians were randomly allocated to each arm. The intervention group watched a 10–15-minute video every day for 14 days to increase their self-compassion. Participants completed questionnaires to measure outcomes across four time points (baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 1- and 2-month follow-ups).

Results

One hundred and one participants were included in the analysis of variance. The intervention significantly improved resilience (F[2, 198] = 4.39, p = 0.014,  = 0.043), self-reassurance (F[2, 198] = 4.61, p = 0.01,  = 0.045), self-compassion (F[2, 198] = 8.80, p ≤ 0.001,  = 0.08), work-related rumination (distraction detachment: F[2, 198] = 4.92, p = 0.008,  = 0.047, problem-solving pondering: F[1.86, 184.82] = 5.88, p = 0.004,  = 0.056) and self-criticism (F[1.80, 136.94] = 3.60, p = 0.03,  = 0.045). These findings were sustained at follow-up and were associated with small-to-medium and medium-to-large effect sizes.

Limitations

Randomisation was not entirely successful. Due to missing data, an intention-to-treat analysis was not feasible, raising the possibility of an inflated treatment effect. Blinding was not possible due to resource constraints.

Conclusions

An online compassionate imagery intervention was efficacious at improving multiple outcomes associated with veterinarian mental wellbeing. These findings provide a rationale for developing and delivering compassion-based interventions to veterinarians.