Psychological well-being among Canadian chiropractors: a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

Chiropractors are trained to help others, but do chiropractors need help themselves? While many health professions have been surveyed regarding their mental health and wellness, no such comprehensive survey has been conducted in the chiropractic profession. These data are important to improve the health of individual chiropractors, designing effective interventions and creating a strategic workforce plan.

We used a cross-sectional design to survey Canadian chiropractors and students between 02-2023 and 04-2023. We adapted the Canadian Medical Association's questionnaire with permission. The questionnaire was divided into 5 domains; we report results from the psychological domain. Descriptive statistics were tabulated and inferential statistics conducted on each psychological test stratified by gender, age, years and type of practice, and geographic location. From these data, most-at-risk and least-at-risk profiles were constructed.

Anonymous data were obtained from 2109 respondents (26% response rate). The majority identified as male, white and without disability. Respondents identifying as practicing chiropractors and students represented 92.6% and 4.5% of the sample, respectively. From the mental health continuum, 57.8% of Canadian chiropractors were considered to be flourishing and only 5.3% languishing. Chiropractors reported experiencing substantial levels of mental health issues including burnout (33.2%), anxiety (22.0%), and lifetime depressed mood (36.8%). Most notably, 26.7% of responding chiropractors reported having lifetime suicidal ideation. Respondents identifying as having a disability (20%) or being students reported more unfavourable scores across all psychological measures. The most at-risk profile for a Canadian chiropractor is a young female practitioner (under 31) with less than 5 years of experience. In contrast, the least at-risk profile is an older male (over 60) with 31 or more years of practice experience.

This is the first comprehensive evaluation of mental health and wellness in the Canadian chiropractic profession. The results demonstrate that, like other professions, there are mental health and wellness challenges among Canadian chiropractors. These data have value in designing preventative and intervention strategies for those most at-risk. Currently, this survey is being conducted in other countries to understand the mental health of the chiropractic profession in different settings. Future work will analyze the remaining domains.