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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05589116

An Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention for Veterinarian Mental Health

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Compassion Digestive System Diseases Feeding and Eating Disorders Gastrointestinal Diseases Mental Disorders Perfectionism Resilience Rumination Rumination Syndrome Self-Criticism

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Surrey

Guildford, Middlesex, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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.

Treatment and study plan

Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention

Other

The intervention comprises 14 pre-recorded, 10-15 minute videos. Participants will be asked to watch one video per day over a two-week period. The videos initially focus on providing psychoeducation about what self-compassion is, before delivering a series of guided Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) informed exercises to cultivate self-compassion. The first week of the intervention will teach key compassion skills, with the second week focusing on skill consolidation.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in 'Functions of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale' (FSCRS; Gilbert, Clarke, Hempel, Miles & Irons, 2004).

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    This 22-item scale will be used to measure self-criticism and self-reassurance. Participants are required to respond to statements on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 ('not at all like me') - 4 ('extremely like me'). The FSCRS has 3 subscales (Hated Self, Inadequate Self and Reassured Self) which are used to produce an overall self-criticism score (calculated by summing the Hated Self and Inadequate Self items) and a self-reassurance score (calculated by summing the Reassured Self items).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in 'Brief Resilience Scale' (BRS; Smith et al., 2008)

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    This 6-item scale will be used to measure resilience. The scale uses a combination of positively and negatively worded statements, which participants must respond to on a Likert Scale ranging from 1 ('strongly disagree') to 5 ('strongly agree'). The scores are summed to produce a total score, with a higher total score reflecting a higher level of resilience.

  2. Change in 'Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales' Self-Compassion scale (CEAS; Gilbert et al., 2017)

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    The 13-item CEAS Self-Compassion scale will be used to measure self-compassion. It uses a series of statements, to which the participant must respond on a Likert Scale with responses ranging from 1 ('never') to 10 ('always'). The scale has two subscales, which are aligned with the two dimensions of Gilbert's (2017) model of compassion: 'Compassionate Engagement' and 'Compassionate Action'. A total score can be produced by summing the subscale scores, with a higher score reflecting a higher level of self-compassion.

  3. Change in 'Work-related Rumination Questionnaire' (WRRQ; Cropley, Michalianou, Pravettoni & Millward, 2012)

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    This 25-item scale will be used to measure a person's tendency to engage in ruminative thinking about work; participants will be asked to respond in relation to their university, placement, or clinic work. The WRRQ has three subscales (affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, and distraction detachment), and a mean total score is calculated, with higher scores indicating a higher level of rumination.

  4. Change in 'Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale - 24 Items' (FMPS-24; Khawaja & Armstrong, 2005).

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    This 24-item scale will be used to measure perfectionism. The scale is scored out of 120, with a higher score indicating stronger perfectionistic tendencies.

  5. Change in 'Fears of Compassion Scale' (FCS; Gilbert, McEwan, Matos & Rivis, 2011).

    Time frame: 4 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention and eight weeks post-intervention

    This 38-item scale will be used to measure Fears of Compassion and it comprises three subscales: Fears of Compassion-Self, Fears of Compassion- For others, and Fears of Compassion- From others.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Surrey

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Investigating the Efficacy of a Two-week, Online Compassionate Imagery Intervention for Improving Mental Wellbeing in Veterinarians: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Oct 21, 2022
Registry last updated
Sep 22, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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