An Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention for Veterinarian Mental Health

University of Surrey

Status: Completed

Conditions: Compassion; Resilience; Self-Criticism; Perfectionism; Rumination

Treatments: Other: Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05589116

FHMS 21022 252 EGA

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomised control trial aims to determine the efficacy of a two-week, online compassionate imagery intervention on improving veterinarian mental wellbeing. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive the intervention immediately or after a 10-week study period. Self-report questionnaires will be used at four time points to measure change on a range of psychological variables.

Full description

Background: Research suggests that veterinarians are high-achievers with self-critical, perfectionist tendencies (Holden, 2020). Perfectionism in veterinarians has been associated with stress, anxiety, negative affect and low resilience (Crane, Phillips & Karin, 2015). However, McArthur et al. (2017) found that veterinarians with higher levels of self-compassion reported greater resilience. A feasibility study by Wakelin, Perman and Simonds (2022) found an online two-week compassion-focused imagery intervention to be acceptible and feasible for a veterinarian sample. Wakelin et al. (2022) also reported indications of preliminary effect as veterinarians illustrated a reduction in perfectionism, work-related rumination and self-criticism over the intervention period.

Aim: This study aims to extend Wakelin et al.'s (2022) research, to determine the efficacy of a two-week, online compassionate imagery intervention on improving veterinarian mental wellbeing.

Design: The study will use a mixed-methods, repeated measures, randomised controlled trial design.

The independent variables will be the intervention group (either treatment or wait list control) and the data collection time point. Six questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data on the following dependent variables: perfectionism, work- related rumination, fear of compassion, resilience, self-compassion, self- criticism and self-reassurance.

Method: Participants will complete questionnaire measures at four time points: prior to randomisation (baseline), two weeks post-randomisation (post-intervention), six-weeks post-randomisation (one-month intervention follow-up) and ten-weeks after randomisation (two-month intervention follow up). Participants in the treatment group will be asked to watch a 10-15 minute compassionate imagery video every day for two weeks (14 in total). Participants in the control group will gain access to intervention materials upon study completion but their engagement in the videos will not be monitored.

Enrollment: 162 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Any student, recent graduate or qualified veterinary surgeon will be eligible for participation in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Veterinarians who participated in Wakelin et al.'s (2022) feasibility trial.
• Veterinarians who are currently receiving a compassion- or cognitive-based therapy.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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162 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants given immediate access to two-week, online compassionate imagery course.

Treatment:

Other: Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention

Wait-list control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will not access intervention during 10-week study period (access will be given to online compassionate imagery course after all outcome measures have been completed).