Preliminary Exploration of Weekly Peer Group Discussions as a Strategy for Coping with Feelings Associated with Euthanasia in Dairy Caretakers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aberle J ; Cramer C ; Edwards-Callaway L ; Mijares S ; Rivera-Gonzalez J ; Román-Muñiz N ; Simpson H ; Stallones L
• Description:
  Dairy caretakers experience a variety of occupational risks including stress related to performing euthanasia and making euthanasia-related decisions for cattle in their care. Few supportive interventions exist to help caretakers cope with euthanasia-related stress. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of weekly peer discussion sessions as an intervention to reduce euthanasia-related stress and grief in dairy caretakers. This study utilized scores from a modified pet-based bereavement questionnaire to assess the change in bereavement of caretakers in response to euthanasia-related stress in a non-treatment group (who did not attend peer discussion sessions, n = 7) and a treatment group (who attended peer discussion sessions, n = 15). Key findings of this study were that discussion sessions did not have a direct impact on the study outcomes as measured using a pet bereavement scale, as there was no difference in the change in bereavement scores during the 8 week study period between the treatment and non-treatment groups. Thematic analysis of peer discussions revealed that compassion towards dairy cattle is a prominent factor in areas of decision making, protocols, and training. Further studies should continue to explore how performing euthanasia and making euthanasia-related decisions impacts caretakers and what supportive interventions can reduce stress and grief. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Animal Husbandry Workers Author Keywords: Bereavement Caretakers Cattle Coping Behavior Coping Strategy Dairy Cattle Euthanasia Grief Intervention Effectiveness Job Stress Mental Health Occupational Psychology

  More +
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070906
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Feb; 19(4):2177
• Contact Point Address:
  Lily Edwards-Callaway, Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
• Email:
  lily.edwards-callaway@colostate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4a0c83a3fc6fb546d1978ea43c7456eed1f9b94111655452eb7a809d82d741da5b2ab968c253948753015a2c7e46751c478056fd7e0dc4a399c426c6ff224bf3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209028/cdc_209028_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.01 MB ]