Smith Judith, Hawgood Jacinta
Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jun 2;12:1460577. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1460577. eCollection 2025.
Several studies have identified that veterinarians are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. To date there has been scant attention to preventing suicide within this profession. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an evidence-based suicide prevention training program that aims to enhance trainees' capabilities to help individuals who may be vulnerable to suicidality. ASIST has been successfully delivered to industries and professions where suicide is known to be a high risk and was therefore proposed as a potentially suitable suicide prevention initiative for translation to the veterinary profession. The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary qualitative evaluation of the ASIST workshop delivered to veterinarians in Queensland, Australia. A secondary aim was to explore veterinarians' perceived needs for suicide prevention in their profession.
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework was used to explore the experiences of a sample of Queensland veterinarians, after attendance at an ASIST workshop. Participants were females (87.5%) and males (12.5%) aged 30 to 66 years (M = 45, SD = 12.37) who engaged in individual interviews. Thematic analysis identified common and important patterns of meaning within the data.
Three main themes and associated sub-themes were identified: Impactful workshop delivery and learning environment; Relevance of ASIST training for the veterinary profession; and Unique challenges and needs for suicide prevention in the veterinary profession. Overall, participants reported positive experiences of the workshop and its delivery. However, participants also reported feeling a level of discomfort related to some aspects of their participation and made suggestions for tailoring of the workshop to better fit the needs of their peers in future workshop delivery. Participants also suggested important targets for suicide prevention in the veterinary profession.
This study identified key experiences of veterinarians who participated in the ASIST workshop. Important directions for future delivery of the ASIST workshop to the veterinary profession as well as directions for suicide prevention were suggested including actions for improving mental health and well-being in the workplace.
多项研究表明，兽医自杀风险高于普通人群。迄今为止，该行业在预防自杀方面几乎未受到关注。应用自杀干预技能培训（ASIST）是一项基于证据的自杀预防培训项目，旨在提高学员帮助可能有自杀倾向者的能力。ASIST已成功应用于已知自杀风险较高的行业和职业，因此被提议作为一项可能适合引入兽医行业的自杀预防举措。本研究旨在对在澳大利亚昆士兰州为兽医举办的ASIST工作坊进行初步定性评估。次要目的是探索兽医对其行业自杀预防的认知需求。
采用解释现象学分析（IPA）框架，探讨昆士兰州一组兽医参加ASIST工作坊后的经历。参与者为年龄在30至66岁（M = 45，SD = 12.37）的女性（87.5%）和男性（12.5%），他们接受了个人访谈。主题分析确定了数据中常见且重要的意义模式。
确定了三个主要主题及相关子主题：有影响力的工作坊开展与学习环境；ASIST培训对兽医行业的相关性；兽医行业自杀预防的独特挑战与需求。总体而言，参与者对工作坊及其开展情况给予了积极评价。然而，参与者也表示在参与的某些方面感到一定程度的不适，并建议对工作坊进行调整，以便在未来的工作坊开展中更好地满足同行需求。参与者还提出了兽医行业自杀预防的重要目标。
本研究确定了参与ASIST工作坊的兽医的关键经历。提出了未来向兽医行业开展ASIST工作坊的重要方向以及自杀预防方向，包括改善工作场所心理健康和福祉的行动。
