Paving the rainbow bridge: a qualitative study of disenfranchised grief in veterinary professionals

Abstract

Disenfranchised grief, a grief not properly acknowledged by society, can have an adverse impact on individuals if not adequately tackled. Amongst populations that can experience disenfranchised grief, veterinary professionals are one such understudied group, where they experience pet grief at the death of their pet patients. Collectivist Asian societies like Singapore may worsen the disenfranchisement of grief, where certain value systems may heighten the aversion to discussing grief, especially in unique circumstances involving non-human death. Little has been investigated on the disenfranchisement of pet grief experienced by Singaporean veterinary professionals. As such, the present study aims to find out how barriers and facilitators to coping affect the disenfranchised grief experienced by veterinarians and veterinary nurses. The study sought to understand veterinary professionals’ grief experiences, identify the barriers and facilitators to coping, as well as explain the disenfranchisement of pet grief in relation to societal and workplace expectations. An investigative approach was used in consideration of a constructivist paradigm. Eight participants were recruited, and consisted of veterinarians and veterinary nurses. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted individually, and thematic analysis identified factors such as individual coping mechanisms and organisational influences, such as that from other stakeholders like colleagues or pet owners. Six major themes were identified: disenfranchised grief in view of workplace and societal expectations, individual grief experiences, individual coping mechanisms, workplace factors that influenced coping, perceived role in grief support, as well as considerations for future improvements that could help to reduce the disenfranchisement of grief in veterinary professionals.