Davies Emma, Liddiard Sophie, McConn-Palfreyman Will J, Parker John K, Cameron Lorna J, Williams Jane M
Equine Department, Hartpury University, Gloucestershire GL19 3BE, UK.
Sport Department, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Oct 26;13(21):3337. doi: 10.3390/ani13213337.
Horseracing has identified several factors influencing staff wellbeing; however, the relationship between injury, anxiety, and depression is yet to be established. This study investigated anxiety and depression scores and their association to pain management, coping, and help-seeking behaviour in injured British horseracing staff. An online retrospective survey was completed by 175 participants, identifying injury prevalence, coping strategies, occupational risk factors, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores. Analysis identified 65.14% ( = 114) of staff reported anxiety scores above the threshold (≥8) and 59.52% ( = 104) of staff reported depression scores ≥8. Median anxiety and depression scores were higher for staff who viewed their employer as unhelpful (anxiety = 0.001; depression = 0.020). Heightened anxiety and depression were associated with an increased likelihood to use pain medication to manage at work, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's), alcohol, nicotine, and prescription drugs ( < 0.05). Implications for staff wellbeing is evident; anxiety and depression risks are high following injury, which may influence help-seeking behaviour, perceived job security, and coping mechanisms. This paper suggests it is vital to continue to investigate poor mental health and injury in racing staff and the implications for equine welfare.
赛马运动已经确定了几个影响员工福祉的因素；然而，受伤、焦虑和抑郁之间的关系尚未明确。本研究调查了受伤的英国赛马工作人员的焦虑和抑郁得分，以及它们与疼痛管理、应对方式和求助行为之间的关联。175名参与者完成了一项在线回顾性调查，确定了受伤患病率、应对策略、职业风险因素以及医院焦虑抑郁量表（HADS）得分。分析发现，65.14%（n = 114）的工作人员报告焦虑得分高于阈值（≥8），59.52%（n = 104）的工作人员报告抑郁得分≥8。认为雇主无帮助的工作人员的焦虑和抑郁中位数得分更高（焦虑p = 0.001；抑郁p = 0.020）。焦虑和抑郁加剧与工作时使用止痛药（包括非甾体抗炎药、酒精、尼古丁和处方药）的可能性增加有关（p < 0.05）。对员工福祉的影响显而易见；受伤后焦虑和抑郁风险很高，这可能会影响求助行为、感知到的工作安全感和应对机制。本文表明，继续调查赛马工作人员的心理健康不佳和受伤情况以及对马匹福利的影响至关重要。
