The Mental Health of Veterinarians in Türkiye: A Prevalence Study

Abstract

BackgroundVeterinarians have been identified as a high-risk occupational group for mental health problems; however, evidence regarding their mental health status in T & uuml;rkiye remains limited. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and resilience among veterinarians in T & uuml;rkiye.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 821 veterinarians (Mage = 34.94, SD = 8.60; range 19-65) working in both public and private sectors in T & uuml;rkiye. Participants were recruited using a stratified sampling method based on sex, employment sector, and geographical region. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlation analyses, and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe findings indicated that 34% of participants reported depression, 35% anxiety, and 39% severe or extremely severe stress levels. Approximately 35% of veterinarians were found to have low resilience. Female veterinarians reported significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as lower resilience, compared to males. In addition, veterinarians working in the public sector exhibited significantly lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than those working in the private sector.ConclusionThe results indicate that mental health problems are prevalent among veterinarians in T & uuml;rkiye and vary across demographic and occupational groups. These findings contribute to the limited evidence base on veterinary mental health in middle-income country contexts.