Suicidality in Veterinarians: Trends at Different Career Stages and a Test of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in suicide ideation and attempt at different career stages and test hypotheses derived from the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) in a sample of veterinarians. METHOD: The sample of currently practicing veterinarians used for this study (N = 10,319) was derived from a larger sample. Participants completed an online self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: As predicted, women generally had a higher prevalence of suicide ideation and attempt across career stages, except men and women showed similar rates of suicide attempt after veterinary school. Contrary to hypotheses, no interaction effects between IPTS variables were observed. However, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and hopelessness exhibited the main effects of suicide ideation, and there were main effects of perceived burdensomeness and hopelessness on suicide attempt. Compared with perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, hopelessness had a relatively more robust relationship with suicide ideation. We also found a significant relationship between fearlessness about death and suicide attempt, but no relationship between self-reported pain tolerance and suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Some of our findings were consistent with the IPTS while others were not. Future research would benefit from a longitudinal examination of suicidality in veterinarians.

Female veterinarians generally had more severe suicidality than male veterinarians.There were no sex differences in suicide attempt after veterinary school.The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide had mixed support in a sample of veterinarians.

Examining the effects of response monitoring instructions on endorsements of suicidal ideation in an online study.

INTRODUCTION: It is common practice for researchers to monitor responses to items assessing suicidal ideation and follow-up with high-risk participants, when their identities are known. However, it is becoming increasingly common for researchers to administer fully anonymous online surveys that do not allow for follow-ups with participants at higher risk. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether these two different approaches-monitoring and follow-up versus no monitoring or follow-up-affect the willingness of participants to endorse suicidal ideation. METHODS: The sample included N = 555 undergraduate students, who were randomly assigned to the monitoring (n = 275) or anonymous (n = 280) instruction conditions, with the monitoring condition shifting to anonymous, non-monitored responses at Time 2. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in self-reported suicidal ideation between those in the monitoring and anonymous condition at Time 1. At Time 2, no significant interaction was identified between condition and time, suggesting that the change in instructions across timepoints for the monitoring condition had no impact on endorsement of suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that both monitoring and anonymous instruction methods should elicit the same pattern of endorsements of suicidal ideation.

Reconnecting to Internal Sensations and Experiences (RISE): An online, multi-session intervention improves interoceptive sensibility for military personnel.

OBJECTIVE: This preregistered randomized controlled trial tested the effects of a four-session, online interoceptive awareness intervention relative to an active comparator, matched for time and attention on interoception and suicidal ideation. METHOD: Participants (N = 195; 69% male; mean age = 37) were active duty service members (62%) and veterans (38%) who completed measures of interoceptive sensibility, interoceptive accuracy, and suicidal ideation at baseline. They were randomized to either the interoceptive awareness intervention, Reconnecting to Internal Sensations and Experiences (RISE), or the comparator, Healthy Habits. Participants completed the assessment battery again at posttest as well as a 1 and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: RISE was rated as acceptable and demonstrated excellent feasibility per completion rates (85% completed all four modules). RISE improved the majority of interoceptive sensibility domains assessed (noticing body sensations, not worrying about sensations of pain or discomfort, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body listening, and body trust), and most of these gains remained at 1 and 3-month follow-ups. There were no differences between conditions on suicidal ideation, perhaps due to the low levels of ideation reported, or interoceptive accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: RISE is a disseminable, cost-effective, and transdiagnostic intervention that improves interoceptive sensibility up to 3 months.

Securing lethal means for suicide: a focus group study exploring perceptions and barriers among practicing veterinarians.

OBJECTIVE: Veterinarians are at higher risk for suicide than the general population, and 1 reason for this may be veterinarians' access to and knowledge of pentobarbital-a common suicide method in this population. One possible approach to reducing suicide risk is means safety. This study examined the acceptability and feasibility of means safety protocols in the veterinary workplace. SAMPLE: 43 veterinarians from a mix of specialty areas aged 26 to 53 years, currently practicing in the United States, recruited via social media and listservs. METHODS: Participants completed a 60- to 90-minute focus group with pre- and post-test surveys. Focus group content was qualitatively analyzed. RESULTS: Survey responses indicated that that 30% (n = 13) of veteriarians reported storing their pentobarbital unlocked at least part of the time. During focus group discussion, participants perceived work/life balance or being overwhelmed as the most common suicide risk factor in veterinarians, with normalizing mental health emerging as a primary way to improve mental health in veterinarians. Additionally, adding an extra lockbox for pentobarbital/firearms emerged as the most acceptable and feasible means safety method. Finally, at post-test, veterinarians increased in willingness to implement storage protocol changes (P = .02) and were more likely to endorse concern about a coworker's suicide risk than concern about their own suicide risk (P < .01) as a reason to change pentobarbital storage methods. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results from this study will inform public messaging campaigns and policy changes for pentobarbital storage and suicide prevention efforts in the veterinary workplace at the individual and organizational level.

Disrupted interoception in Military Service Members and Veterans with a history of suicidality.

INTRODUCTION: This project tested whether Service Members (SM) and Veterans with current suicidal ideation or a history of suicide attempt had greater interoceptive dysfunction than SM and Veterans with past or no suicidal ideation. METHOD: Participants (N = 195; 69% male) were SM (62%) and Veterans (38%) who completed measures of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and subjective and objective interoceptive dysfunction. Participants were split into the following suicide groups: no suicidality, lifetime ideation, current ideation, and past attempt. Planned orthogonal contrasts tested for differences. RESULTS: The combined suicidality group (lifetime ideation, current ideation, or past attempt) had worse body trust relative to the no suicidality group, and the current ideation group had worse body trust relative to those with lifetime ideation. Those with a history of suicide attempt had worse body appreciation than the combined group of ideators, and those with current ideation had worse body appreciation relative to those with lifetime ideation. The groups did not differ on objective interoception. CONCLUSION: Interoception is disrupted among individuals with suicidality histories within a predominantly male-identified military sample. Individuals with current suicidal ideation had both worse body trust and appreciation relative to those with past ideation. Suicide risk assessments may benefit from including questions related to body trust.

Highly stressful events and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among veterinary professionals: Prevalence and associations with mental health and job-related outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Explore the relationship between highly stressful events in veterinary medicine and mental health outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: Using narratives of highly stressful work events from 359 veterinary professionals, we calculated the prevalence of PTSD using both the standard Criterion A from DSM-5-TR and an expanded definition of a traumatic event that included animals as victims. Bivariate correlations were performed to probe for relationships between exposure to highly stressful events and other negative mental health outcomes. RESULTS: Seventy-six (21.1%) veterinary professionals reported exposure to a Criterion A work-related event, and 141 (39.3%) reported exposure under the expanded definition. Further, 13 (3.6%) to 50 (13.9%) veterinary professionals screened positive for PTSD, depending on how the traumatic stressor was defined and whether PTSD symptoms were linked to the same event or multiple events. Screening positive for PTSD was positively associated with suicidal ideation, psychological distress, and burnout. Defining traumatic stressors broadly and linking PTSD symptoms to multiple events resulted in more robust correlations and revealed positive associations with depression, suicide attempt, and problematic alcohol and drug abuse. The number of exposures to highly stressful work events was also positively associated with depression, suicidal ideation, psychological distress, and burnout and negatively associated with job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Future research should consider strategies to mitigate the negative consequences that result from unavoidable exposure to highly stressful events in the veterinary workplace. Moreover, the types of events specific to veterinary medicine should be considered when assessing for traumatic events and post-exposure symptoms in veterinary professionals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"The Damage Happens You Just Try Not to Dwell on It": Experiences of Discrimination by Gender and Sexual Minority Veterinary Professionals and Students in the US and the UK.

Data collected in a 2016 survey of veterinary students and professionals from the United States and the United Kingdom who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual (LGBTQ+) indicated that 34.5% (152/440) had experienced difficulties related to their sexual orientation or gender identity at school or work. This study's objective was to examine narrative responses collected in the 2016 survey and utilize content analysis to explore the research questions: What are the concerns of the LGBTQ+ veterinary population, and how do they attempt to resolve difficulties at work and school? To address these questions, we developed two taxonomies that cataloged (a) the difficulties reported by veterinary professionals and students in the 2016 survey sample and (b) the outcomes of their attempts to resolve these difficulties. The themes related to difficulties that occurred most frequently were exposure to homophobic or transphobic language (n = 69; 45.4%), outness/staying in the closet (45, 29.6%), and negative emotional outcomes (32, 21.2%). The most common themes that described the outcomes of their attempts to resolve those difficulties were unresolved (n = 41, 27.0%), changed jobs or graduated (22, 14.5%), and found self-acceptance of acceptance from others (21, 13.8%). Our findings can inform the efforts of schools and colleges of veterinary medicine, professional organizations, and workplaces in targeting improvements to support LGBTQ+ students and professionals and the development of measures tailored to this population.

Evaluating the Factor Structure of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory.

The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) is one of the most widely used measure of posttraumatic cognitions. The original factor analysis of the PTCI provided evidence for a three-factor model of negative cognitions about self, world, and self-blame. However, subsequent research has failed to replicate this factor structure without removing multiple items. Given these inconsistent findings, we examined the PTCI factor structure in a sample of trauma-exposed undergraduates (n = 868). First, we conducted a series of four confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) based on previously published models of the PTCI and a modified model based on previously removed items, all which indicated poor fit. Next, we conducted a CFA of the recently published three-factor PTCI-9, which approached adequate fit. We then replicated the CFA of the PTCI-9 in a second independent sample (n = 971), finding a similar pattern of near adequate fit. These findings highlight the need to revise the PTCI. In addition, results indicate the promising nature of the PTCI-9 as an alternative measure of posttraumatic cognitions.

Examining unique and prospective relationships among self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and posttraumatic stress disorder: a network analysis in two trauma-exposed samples.

BACKGROUND: As self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) remain a pressing public health concern, research continues to focus on risk factors, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Network analysis provides a novel approach to examining the PTSD-SITB relationship. This study utilized the network approach to elucidate how individual PTSD symptoms may drive and maintain SITB. METHODS: We estimated cross-sectional networks in two samples of trauma-exposed adults (Sample 1: N = 349 adults; Sample 2: N = 1307 Veterans) to identify PTSD symptoms that may act as bridges to SITB. Additionally, we conducted a cross-lagged panel network in Sample 2 to further clarify the temporal relationship between PTSD symptoms and SITB during a 2-year follow-up. Finally, in both samples, we conducted logistic regressions to examine the utility of PTSD symptoms in prospectively predicting SITB, over a 15-day period (Sample 1) and over a 2-year period (Sample 2), allowing us to examine both short- and long-term prediction. RESULTS: Two PTSD symptoms (i.e. negative beliefs and risky behaviors) emerged as highly influential on SITB in both cross-sectional networks. In the cross-lagged panel network, distorted blame emerged as highly influential on SITB over time. Finally, risky behaviors, unwanted memories, and psychological distress served as the strongest predictors of SITB across the two samples. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results suggest that treatments targeting negative beliefs and risky behaviors may prevent SITB in community and Veteran populations, whereas treatments targeting distorted blame and unwanted memories may help reduce SITB for individuals with a history of combat trauma.

An Examination of the Factor Structure of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory.

The Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI), a 60-item self-report measure, assesses the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Hexaflex. The factor structure of the MPFI was examined in this study. In a community sample of adults (N = 827), four models (correlated six-factor, one-factor, higher order, and bifactor) were tested for each of the constructs of interest (i.e., psychological flexibility and psychological inflexibility). All models, with the exception of the one-factor, provided adequate fit to the data. Differences between the three adequate fitting models were trivial in magnitude. Additional statistical indices from the bifactor models indicated that the general factors accounted for the large majority of reliable variance. The majority of the domain-specific factors evidenced redundancy with their respective general factors. Results from a series of structural regressions indicated that the domain-specific factors did not provide additional incremental utility above and beyond the general factors in predicting two relevant clinical constructs (i.e., health anxiety and depression). These results provide support for the use of the MPFI Flexibility and Inflexibility total scores, but not subscale scores. The MPFI may require further refinement to either greatly reduce the length of the measure, or to ensure that subscales have incremental utility.

Weight misperception and its associations with eating disorder symptoms over the course of residential eating disorder treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Although individuals with eating disorders (EDs) often experience significant body dissatisfaction and perceptual body image distortions, the presence and impact of weight misperception in clinical samples have been minimally examined. The aims of this study were to quantify weight misperception in individuals with EDs, examine whether weight misperception predicts ED severity at treatment discharge, and explore changes in weight misperception across treatment. METHOD: Participants were 98 women seeking residential treatment for their ED who reported weekly on their perceived weight. Objectively measured weight was subtracted from perceived weight to determine weekly "weight misperception." Participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) at intake and discharge to assess ED severity. Weight misperception at intake and change in weight misperception over treatment were examined as predictors of ED pathology at discharge. RESULTS: Approximately 74.5% of the sample overestimated their weight, with an average weight misperception of 2.7 (SD = 5.6) pounds (1.2 kg; SD = 2.5). Weight misperception spanned from -6.2 to 43.6 pounds (-2.8 to 19.8 kg) and did not differ based on ED diagnosis. On average, weight misperception increased throughout treatment. Greater weight misperception at intake as well as greater increases in weight misperception over treatment significantly predicted EDE-Q scores at discharge. DISCUSSION: Findings highlight that weight misperception is not limited to underweight patients. Misperceiving one's weight may predict symptom severity across a range of EDs, and future research is needed to examine whether targeting weight misperception during residential treatment could improve treatment outcomes for individuals with EDs.

Reconnecting to Internal Sensation and Experiences: A Pilot Feasibility Study of an Online Intervention to Improve Interoception and Reduce Suicidal Ideation.

Risk factors that are strongly associated with suicide and are amenable to intervention are in need of discovery. This three-study investigation demonstrates that an intervention designed to improve interoception-one potential suicide risk factor-may reduce suicide-related outcomes. Study 1 included 136 undergraduate participants and found that relative to a control condition, participating in a progressive muscle relaxation exercise was associated with reduced implicit identification with suicide through greater body trust, which is one domain of interoception that is consistently linked to suicide-related outcomes. Study 2 included 97 MTurk participants and found that relative to a control condition, participating in a body functionality writing exercise was associated with greater awareness of the body as a whole. Study 3 was a pilot study of a four-session online intervention designed to increase interoception. Study 3 included a sample of 22 clinical participants who completed pre- and postintervention assessments. Participants rated the intervention as highly acceptable and moderately effective. Moreover, the intervention was associated with improvements in interoception and reductions in suicidal ideation, general psychological symptoms, and disordered-eating symptoms. Overall, these findings indicate that our online interoceptive awareness training is acceptable and may be associated with improvements in clinical outcomes. Randomized controlled trials are needed to explore whether the intervention's purported mechanism-improved interoception-leads to changes in clinical outcomes.

Examining the Factor Structure and Incremental Validity of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale - Short Form in a Community Sample.

The Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale - Short Form (BDEFS-SF; Barkley, 2011) was developed to assess deficits in five facets of executive functioning. Theoretical assumptions surrounding the BDEFS-SF presume that executive dysfunction is an overarching construct that consists of five domain-specific factors (i.e., a hierarchical model; Barkley, 2011). Prior research has supported a correlated five-factor model, but the tenability of hierarchical or bifactor models of the BDEFS-SF have not yet been tested. In the present study (N = 1,120 community adults), confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare four theoretically relevant models of the BDEFS-SF (i.e., one-factor, correlated five-factor, hierarchical, and bifactor models). The bifactor model provided the best fit to the data. However, the general factor accounted for the overwhelming majority of variance in BDEFS-SF scores and none of the domain-specific factors exhibited adequate construct replicability or factor determinancy. Further, the general factor accounted for the overhelming majority of variance in criterion variables (i.e., executive attention and health anxiety); the Organization and Emotion factors accounted for a small amount of unique variance in executive attention and the Emotion factor accounted for a small amount of unique variance in health anxiety. Taken together, study findings suggest that the BDEFS-SF has a strong general factor and independent use of the domain-specific factors is contraindicated.

Reexamining the latent structure of suicidal thoughts using taxometric analysis: Implications for testing ideation to action theoretical models of suicidal thoughts and behavior.

A central question in psychological science concerns whether psychological constructs are best conceptualized as dimensional or consist of one or more categories. The present study uses contemporary taxometric procedures to examine the latent structure of suicidal thoughts, with implications for how suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB) ought to be conceptualized, assessed, measured, and managed. Three nonredundant taxometric procedures (MAMBAC, MAXEIG, and L-Mode) were performed on various sets of indicators, and analyses were replicated across two large samples that included large numbers of individuals reporting current and recent STB. Results provide further evidence that the latent structure of suicidal thoughts is best understood as dimensional. However, inconsistent findings across studies and the relatively small number of taxometric studies conducted to date both suggest that it is premature to draw clear or definitive conclusions about the latent structure of STB being dimensional or categorical based on taxometric evidence. We report a meta-analysis of the current literature which evidences this ambiguity. We provide a detailed, critical discussion of the STB taxometric literature and outline key directions for future taxometric studies in this area, particularly how taxometric analysis relates to testing "ideation to action" theoretical models, which hypothesize that the development of suicidal ideation and the progression from suicide desire to attempting suicide are distinct processes with distinct explanations/mechanisms. It remains entirely possible that qualitatively distinct types of STB (e.g., representing ideation vs. action) or populations have different latent structures indicating different levels of risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of Exposure to Multiple, Graphic Suicide News Articles on Explicit and Implicit Measures of Suicide Risk.

Research has examined suicide-related behaviors following exposure to suicide news articles, yet only a handful of studies utilized experimental designs. We aimed to address the limitations of these prior experimental studies by utilizing more realistic suicide articles and more empirically sound measures. 420 participants were randomly assigned to read a series of either suicide-related or neutral news articles, then complete a battery of questionnaires and the Death/Suicide Implicit Association Task. Overall, no significant differences between groups were observed, nor did we observe any moderation effect of individual vulnerabilities (e.g., lifetime suicidal ideation/behavior). We did not observe any immediate effects of exposure to suicide news articles. Further research examining potential mechanisms for imitative effects remains critically needed.

Dynamic associations between interpersonal needs and suicidal ideation in a sample of individuals with eating disorders.

BACKGROUND: Over half of individuals with eating disorders experience suicidal ideation at some point in their lives, yet few longitudinal studies have examined predictors of ideation in this at-risk group. Moreover, prospective research has focused on relatively distal or trait-level factors that are informative for distinguishing who is most at risk but not when. Little is known about more proximal or state-level risk factors that fluctuate within an individual, which is critical for determining when a person is most likely to engage in suicidal behaviors. METHODS: Women (N = 97) receiving treatment for their eating disorder completed questionnaires weekly to assess suicidal ideation and interpersonal constructs (i.e. perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness) theorized to be proximal predictors of suicidal desire. Longitudinal multilevel models were conducted to examine both within- and between-person predictors of suicidal ideation across 12 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Statistically significant within-person effects for burdensomeness (ß = 0.06; p < 0.001) indicate that when individuals have greater feelings of burdensomeness compared to their own average, they also experience higher suicidal ideation. We did not find any significant influence of thwarted belongingness or the interaction between burdensomeness and belongingness on suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first to examine dynamic associations between interpersonal constructs and suicidal ideation in individuals with eating disorders. Results are only partially consistent with the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide and suggest that short-term changes in burdensomeness may impact suicidal behavior in individuals with eating disorders.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Suicidal Ideation: The Moderating Effect of Posttraumatic Cognitions.

Although individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at an increased risk for suicidal ideation (SI), it is unclear what factors might influence this association. Investigators have hypothesized that posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs), such as self-blame (SB) or negative cognitions about the self (NCAS) or world (NCAW), would play a role, but this has not been investigated empirically. Accordingly, we evaluated a model in which the association between PTSD symptoms and SI was moderated by PTCs in a sample of trauma-exposed undergraduate students (N = 410). To identify the specific source of this hypothesized moderation effect, we ran the moderation model separately for PTSD total severity, PTSD total severity without the cognition-related items, and each of four DSM PTSD symptom clusters in combination with each of three types of PTCs (i.e., NCAS, NCAW, SB), accounting for quadratic effects. The results revealed that NCAW moderated the positive association between all six of the PTSD variables and SI, f2 s < .01 to .04. Analyses of simple slopes generally revealed strong positive associations between PTSD symptoms with SI at high levels of NCAW, no associations at moderate levels, and negative associations at low levels. We also found one statistically significant quadratic effect when examining avoidance and NCAW. In contrast, neither NCAS nor SB emerged as a significant moderator in any of our regression models. These findings highlight the importance of addressing PTCs-particularly NCAW-in trauma survivors.

Perceived burdensomeness is a curvilinear, short-term predictor of suicide ideation in a community sample of adults.

OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim was to test the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide's synergy hypothesis (i.e., the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) in the proximal prediction of suicide ideation, while accounting for quadratic effects. METHOD: We used MTurk to recruit participants (N = 478) with a lifetime history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors; they completed two batteries of self-report questionnaires three days apart. RESULTS: Contrary to the synergy hypothesis, only suicide ideation and the quadratic effect of perceived burdensomeness at Time 1 were significant predictors of suicide ideation at Time 2. The quadratic effect of perceived burdensomeness indicated a u-shaped function, whereby scores at or above the 80th percentile on perceived burdensomeness at Time 1 had increasingly strong, positive associations with suicide ideation at Time 2, while scores under the 80th percentile were not predictive of suicide ideation at Time 2. Also, thwarted belongingness and suicide ideation at Time 1 were significant predictors of perceived burdensomeness at Time 2. CONCLUSIONS: These findings add to a growing literature that does not support the synergy hypothesis and suggests the importance of including nonlinear terms when examining the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide's constructs.

A survey of negative mental health outcomes, workplace and school climate, and identity disclosure for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual veterinary professionals and students in the United States and United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of negative mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual (LGBTQ+) veterinary professionals and students with the prevalence reported in a previous study of veterinarians; compare LGBTQ+ veterinary professionals and students in regard to access to LGBTQ+ policies and resources, workplace or school climate, and identity disclosure; and examine whether these variables were associated with mental health (eg, psychological distress) or work- and school-related (eg, emotional labor) outcomes. SAMPLE: 440 LGBTQ+ veterinary professionals and students in the United States and United Kingdom. PROCEDURES: Between July and December 2016, a web-based questionnaire was distributed through email messages to members of LGBTQ+ veterinary groups and announcements at general veterinary and LGBTQ+-focused conferences and in newsletters. RESULTS: Nonheterosexual cis men, nonheterosexual cis women, and transgender and nonbinary individuals all had higher lifetime prevalences of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, compared with previously reported prevalences for male and female veterinarians in general. Professionals reported more welcoming climates than did students (eg, lower frequency of exposure to homophobic language and more supportive environments) and greater identity disclosure; however, students reported greater access to institutional resources and policies. Climate variables had a more robust relationship with negative outcomes than did access to LGBTQ+ policies or identity disclosure variables. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Comparatively high rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among LGBTQ+ professionals and students and the relationship between climate variables and negative mental health outcomes suggested enhanced efforts are needed to improve the climates in veterinary workplaces and colleges.