JEVS Study: The mental health of racehorse trainers

Much has been written (and done), about the mental health of jockeys, who have to endure lives of constant pressure, dieting and danger in attempts to be successful in their careers.

Racehorse trainers, under heaps of pressure themselves, have been left out of the loop, until now.

The Journal Of Veterinary Sciences has published a study, of which they note:

“Racehorse trainers play an important role within the horseracing industry. Despite this, scarce empirical information exists regarding the mental health of this population. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to explore the prevalence of symptoms related to common mental disorders (CMDs) and their associations with specific risk factors for CMD. Participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire. CMDs were assessed including distress, depression, generalized anxiety and adverse alcohol use.”

The highlights of this study are:

-Much of the research examining racehorse trainer mental health has used non-validated screening measures to assess prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders. This paper is the first to use validated screening measures in Europe.

-A prevalence of symptoms associated with common mental disorders was identified. Specifically, depression (41%), adverse alcohol use (38%), psychological distress (26%), and generalized anxiety (18%).

-Career dissatisfaction, financial difficulties, and lower levels of social support increased the likelihood of meeting the criteria for depression, psychological distress and generalized anxiety.

-Findings indicate screening measures exploring career dissatisfaction, financial difficulties, and social support may aid early identification of common mental disorders among racehorse trainers.

Read the interesting study and findings here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080621000538