Abstract

Veterinary technicians experience unique workplace stressors that result in physical and emotional health issues. Furthermore, veterinary technicians’ occupational risks in the United States are somewhat overlooked compared to those in human medicine. Working with such diverse animal species comes with a variety of risks, including getting bitten or crushed and exposure to zoonotic diseases. Additionally, there is little or no research that has specifically evaluated the association between veterinary technicians’ occupational stress levels and their impacts on physical and mental health. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between veterinary technicians’ occupational stress levels and their emotional and physical health. A random cluster sample of 102 technicians and assistants throughout 122 licensed veterinary settings was recruited in Southern California, and web-based versions of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) were administered to the participants. The result showed that there were significant negative relationships between veterinary technicians’ occupational stress levels (NSS) and their physical functioning (SF subscale PF), (r (87) = -.281, p = .008), role limitations due to emotional problems (SF subscale RE), (r (87)= -0.492, p<0.001), bodily pain (SF subscale BP) (r(87)=-0.442, p<0.001), role limitations due to physical problems (SF subscale RP) (r(87)=-0.392, p<0.001), social functioning (SF subscale SF) (r(76)=-0.285, p<0.012), and mental health (SF subscale MH) (r(87)=-0.256, p<0.015).