TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Self-care practices and depression, anxiety, and stress scores in veterinary students during a semester
JO  - Canadian veterinary journal
A1  - Holowaychuk, Marie K.
A1  - Atilla, Aylin
A1  - Archer, Rebecca M.
A1  - Kwong, Grace P. S.
SP  - 571
EP  - 578
VL  - 64
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To measure associations between self-care activities and depression, anxiety, and stress of preclinical veterinary students during a semester. PROCEDURE: Preclinical veterinary students at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine were recruited voluntarily. Depression, anxiety, and stress scores (DASS-21) were measured, and a self-care questionnaire was administered at the beginning and end of the semester. <br><br>RESULTS: Depression, anxiety, and stress scores did not change during the fall semester (P = 1.000). At the beginning of the semester, students who spent 15 to 30 min (P = 0.042) or 30 to 60 min (P = 0.013) outside daily had lower anxiety scores compared to those who spent < 15 min outside daily; students who spent > 2 h daily on social media had higher stress scores than students who spent < 60 min (P = 0.024); and students who slept for 6 to 8 h daily had lower stress scores than students who slept < 6 h (P = 0.015). At the end of the semester, students who "often" felt that self-care techniques managed their stress had lower depression (P = 0.003) and anxiety (P = 0.011) scores than those who "rarely" did; students who spent 30 to 60 min outside daily had lower depression scores than those who spent < 15 min (P = 0.031); students who spent 15 to 30 min (P = 0.002) or 30 to 60 min (P = 0.009) outside daily had lower stress scores than those who spent < 15 min; and students who exercised 30 to 60 min daily had lower stress scores than those who exercised < 15 min (P = 0.047). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Self-care activities that were associated with lower depression, anxiety, or stress scores at the beginning or end of the semester included spending at least 15 min daily outside or exercising; spending < 30 min on social media daily; and sleeping 6 to 8 h daily. These practices warrant further investigation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Encouraging certain self-care practices among preclinical veterinary students has the potential to enhance their mental health and should be considered part of a veterinary school curriculum.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0008-5286
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -