Gurtner Corinne, Krieger Tobias, McConnell Meghan M
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
J Vet Med Educ. 2025 Feb;52(1):102-109. doi: 10.3138/jvme-2023-0149. Epub 2024 Jan 19.
Mental health and well-being in veterinary students has become an important area of study, given the high levels of mental distress compared to other professions. Although research has identified poor mental health of veterinary students, few studies have examined positive factors such as self-compassion, which can have a favorable effect on mental health. The aim of this study was to examine self-reported symptoms of depression and factors influencing this construct, such as loneliness, self-compassion, and various demographic aspects in Swiss veterinary students. A sample of 374 Swiss veterinary students completed online measures including a demographic questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R), a short form of the University of California Loneliness Scale (UCLA-9), and the short form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF). Results showed that 54.3% of the students were above the CESD-R cut-off score for depression, indicating a higher likelihood to suffer from depression. Results from the backward selection linear regression showed loneliness to be a risk factor, while self-compassion and rural upbringing were protective of depression. Findings suggest that Swiss veterinary students are highly burdened and may benefit from interventions aimed at reducing loneliness and improving self-compassion.
鉴于与其他职业相比，兽医专业学生的精神痛苦程度较高，他们的心理健康与幸福已成为一个重要的研究领域。尽管研究已发现兽医专业学生的心理健康状况不佳，但很少有研究考察诸如自我同情等积极因素，而这些因素可能对心理健康产生有利影响。本研究的目的是调查瑞士兽医专业学生自我报告的抑郁症状以及影响这一症状的因素，如孤独感、自我同情以及各种人口统计学因素。374名瑞士兽医专业学生的样本完成了在线测评，包括一份人口统计学问卷、流行病学研究中心抑郁量表修订版（CESD-R）、加利福尼亚大学孤独感量表简版（UCLA-9）以及自我同情量表简版（SCS-SF）。结果显示，54.3%的学生高于CESD-R抑郁临界值，表明其患抑郁症的可能性更高。向后选择线性回归结果显示，孤独感是一个风险因素，而自我同情和在农村长大则对抑郁有保护作用。研究结果表明，瑞士兽医专业学生负担沉重，可能会从旨在减少孤独感和提高自我同情的干预措施中受益。
