Oxford Brookes research team awarded grant to study alcohol use in the UK veterinary profession

A team of researchers from Oxford Brookes University are set to explore alcohol use patterns amongst UK veterinarians and the challenges they face in seeking help, aiming to uncover vital insights into these issues.

The study will be led by Dr Jennifer Seddon, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, along with Olivia Cormier, an 
Associate Researcher and qualified veterinarian, and Dr Emma Davies, Reader in Psychology. They will be supported by a £15,000 grant from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI).

This study will build upon the  impactful research published in August 2024 by Dr Seddon and Olivia Cormier,  which found that UK veterinarians with poor work-related mental health and higher levels of alcohol consumption were fearful of the consequences of seeking help. The findings of that research suggested that veterinarians faced barriers in accessing help for alcohol use, due to alcohol-related stigma and fear over the potential implications to their careers.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is the regulatory body which oversees professional standards for veterinarians in the UK. It funds  the Mind Matters Initiative, which aims to drive change that improves the mental health of the veterinary community. 

Dr Seddon said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding from the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative. The research will allow us to build upon our earlier work and to better understand drinking practices within the UK veterinary profession. Evidence from 2009 shows that veterinary professionals are more likely to drink at risky levels compared to people in the general population, and our earlier work highlighted that many people experiencing problems with their drinking were reluctant to seek help or support. This study will examine drinking behaviours across the veterinary profession, and will provide a better understanding of the factors associated with risky drinking. Most importantly, the study will help us to understand how best to support people in veterinary practice who would like to reduce their alcohol consumption.”

RCVS Director for the Advancement of the Professions, Angharad Belcher, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Dr Seddon and her team in this very important research project. Our funding will help them to build on previous research into alcohol-related stigma within the UK veterinary professions and presents a positive opportunity for us to further explore alcohol use and mental health within the UK veterinary professions – a contemporary topic aligning with our current MMI strategy, looking at barriers to accessing help and the promotion of help seeking behaviours.

“We aim to be a compassionate regulator, and we know that there are some misconceptions around our role as a regulator. We are keen to reassure members of the professions that seeking help for poor mental health and/or addiction problems is not in itself a cause for disciplinary action. In fact, the seeking of such treatment is positively encouraged in the section of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct which says that veterinary professionals ‘must take reasonable steps to address adverse physical or mental health or performance that could impair fitness to practise’.

“If poor mental health and/or addiction problems are a factor in allegations of serious professional misconduct, then we have a Health Protocol that may act as an alternative to disciplinary proceedings and seeks to help the individual and their situation in a proportionate and supportive way.

“There is currently very little research into alcohol use disorders and barriers to help seeking within the veterinary professions and more contemporary research is desperately needed. Further research into this topic not only aligns with our work at MMI in terms of providing a strong evidence base for improved support but will also allow us to continue to break down the stigma that exists around issues with alcohol, mental health and substance misuse within the professions.”