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.

Development and Psychometric Validation of the Body Trust Scale.

Interoception (e.g., abilities to recognize/attend to internal sensations) is robustly associated with psychopathology. One form of interoception, body trust, is relevant for the development of disordered eating and suicidal thoughts/behaviors. However, measures of body trust are narrow, despite research suggesting body trust is multifaceted. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive measure of body trust: The Body Trust Scale (BTS). 479 U.S. adults completed self-report surveys containing the BTS and psychopathology measures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure: Comfort with One's Body, Physical Attractiveness, and Comfort with Internal Sensations. Factors showed strong construct, convergent, and divergent validity, as well as moderate predictive validity for suicidal thoughts/non-suicidal self-injury. Furthermore, factors showed strong internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and were invariant across the gender binary. The BTS can be used in research and clinical settings to understand how specific facets of body trust relate to psychopathology.

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.

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).

Talking About Suicide: Trends in Christian and Socially Conservative Suicide Decedents.

This study examined the relationship between religious affiliation, social policy beliefs, and whether individuals spoke with anyone about suicide prior to suicide death. Two hundred sixty-seven suicide loss survivors reported on characteristics of suicide decedents. Binary logistic regressions found those who identified as socially liberal were more likely to have discussed suicide with the loss survivor or to have told someone else they were thinking about attempting suicide than were those who identified as socially conservative. Follow-up analyses indicated Christian affiliation was only associated with a lower likelihood of having discussed suicide with the loss survivor among older men. Results indicated that specific worldviews may serve as obstacles to suicidal individuals discussing their suicidal thoughts prior to death. As such, the findings indicate that public health approaches to suicide prevention that do not rely on open reporting of suicidal ideation may be vital within such communities.

Pulling back the curtain: Issues in conducting an intervention study with transition-aged youth with autism spectrum disorder and their families.

The transition from high school to adulthood is difficult for youth with autism spectrum disorder and their families. Recognizing these challenges, there is a small but emerging body of literature testing interventions to improve the transition process. But there are many challenges in performing intervention research that have yet to be fully addressed. We discuss issues that should be considered when conducting interventions with individuals with autism spectrum disorder to improve the transition to adulthood, drawing from our study of a parent training to facilitate access to adult services during the transition years. Issues covered include (1) timing (when is an intervention most effective?), (2) mode of delivery (what is the best way to present information?), (3) outcomes (how can intervention outcomes be accurately measured?), (4) target population (who is the intervention designed to help?), and (5) level of intervention (who should the intervention target?). Our answers, though preliminary, show the need to be flexible, to adopt a trial-and-error stance, and to listen to the needs-both explicit and implicit-of youth with autism spectrum disorder and their parents as they navigate the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Help-seeking Behavior in Socially Conservative and Christian Suicide Decedents.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between religious affiliation, political beliefs, and lifetime mental health help-seeking behavior in a sample of suicide decedents. We hypothesized that Christian decedents would be less likely to have sought help than non-Christians, and socially conservative individuals would be less likely to have sought help than socially liberal or moderate individuals. METHOD: Smaller samples (N = 147 for political analyses, N = 218 for religion analyses) were drawn from a larger sample of 267 suicide decedents, for whom data were collected from loss survivors. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses showed that Christian and non-Christian individuals did not differ significantly in help-seeking behavior prior to death by suicide. Individuals who identified as socially liberal were significantly more likely to have sought mental health care than were individuals who identified as socially conservative. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the association between social conservatism and a lack of help-seeking behavior. These findings show the importance of implementing interventions to increase help-seeking behavior for suicidality within demographic groups that stigmatize help-seeking behavior, specifically socially conservative individuals. They also stress the importance of suicide prevention tactics that do not require disclosing suicidal intent within these groups.

Training Parents of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Advocate for Adult Disability Services: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study presents findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial, testing a 12-week intervention to train parents of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to advocate for adult disability services-the Volunteer Advocacy Program-Transition (VAP-T). Participants included 41 parents of youth with ASD within 2 years of high school exit, randomly assigned to a treatment (N = 20) or wait-list control (N = 21) group. Outcomes, collected before and after the intervention, included parental knowledge about adult services, advocacy skills-comfort, and empowerment. The VAP-T had acceptable feasibility, treatment fidelity, and acceptability. After participating in the VAP-T, intervention parents (compared to controls) knew more about the adult service system, were more skilled/comfortable advocating, and felt more empowered.