In biomedical research, work with animals takes place in a highly regulated environment, subject to very strict ethical, scientific and animal welfare criteria. Their use is only considered within a framework based on the 3Rs principles: replacing animals whenever possible, reducing their number to the essential minimum, and refining procedures to minimise suffering and improve welfare. But behind the protocols, authorisations and procedures, there is also a human dimension that often remains in the background. This is the emotional impact that can come from working continuously with animals in research.
People working in animal facilities, technical teams or research groups may have a very close professional bond with the animals they care for or use in their studies. This work requires responsibility, precision and sensitivity, and it can also involve emotionally difficult situations, such as making decisions about the application of humane endpoints or euthanasia. This emotional exhaustion is known as compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue refers to the psychological distress that people may experience when they are repeatedly exposed to the suffering, vulnerability or death of other living beings. It is a concept that has mainly been studied in fields such as medicine, nursing, veterinary medicine, care work and emergency services, but it is increasingly being recognised in the field of laboratory animal science.
What does research say?
The scientific literature describes compassion fatigue as a phenomenon related to secondary traumatic stress, but distinct from burnout. Both can share some symptoms, such as emotional exhaustion, detachment from work or loss of motivation. However, while burnout is mainly associated with chronic work-related stress, overload or lack of support, compassion fatigue is more closely linked to continuous exposure to the suffering, vulnerability or death of other living beings.
Indeed, a systematic review published by Fiona Cocker and Nerida Joss in 2016, focused on health, emergency and community service workers, defines it as a stress response associated with continuous exposure to the suffering of others. The review also underlines that compassion fatigue can affect personal wellbeing, relationships within teams, quality of care and professional continuity.
Compassion fatigue is not a lack of professionalism, but an emotional response that can arise in jobs based on care and exposure to suffering.
An important element of this research is that compassion fatigue is not understood only in negative terms. Tools such as the ProQOL questionnaire, short for Professional Quality of Life, analyse three related dimensions: burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction. The latter refers to the positive side of care work, that is, the satisfaction of carrying out meaningful work, contributing to the welfare of other living beings and being part of a purposeful project.
When this debate is transferred to the field of animal research, there are still few studies. However, an article published in Science in 2023 focused on compassion fatigue among professionals working with animals used in experimentation. The article included different North American data suggesting that compassion fatigue may affect a very high proportion of research professionals who work with animals at some point in their careers. The same piece highlighted euthanasia, lack of warning about study endpoints, lack of social support and the difficulty of openly discussing distress within institutions as some of the main triggering factors.
These data should not be read as a universal figure applicable to all centres, but rather as a clear sign that the phenomenon exists and needs to be studied in each context.
Another point highlighted by research is that generic responses to emotional distress are not always enough. Recommendations such as “practising self-care” or doing yoga may be useful for some people, but they do not necessarily address the specific factors of this professional environment. For this reason, different international initiatives have begun to explore measures better adapted to the reality of animal facilities and research teams. These measures include improving communication about study endpoints, creating spaces to share experiences, better recognising the work of animal care staff, strengthening the relationship between scientific teams and technical staff, and promoting practices that improve both animal welfare and people’s wellbeing.
An often silent reality
Signs of compassion fatigue can vary greatly from one person to another. Some people may feel sadness, guilt, irritability or emotional exhaustion. Others may experience detachment, loss of motivation, difficulty sleeping or a constant feeling of tension. There may also be a need not to talk about the issue, to avoid certain situations or to normalise distress as simply “part of the job”.
One of the main challenges is precisely this silence. People working with animals in research may feel that there is no appropriate space to express this distress, or they may fear that doing so will be interpreted as a lack of ability to take on their responsibilities. In addition, animal research is a socially sensitive field, which can add a further layer of complexity when speaking openly about the emotions associated with this work.
Talking about compassion fatigue does not mean questioning animal research, but recognising an emotional dimension that often remains largely invisible.
At the PRBB, this reflection is particularly relevant. The Park hosts a diverse scientific community, with research centres working in areas such as biomedicine, molecular biology, public health, evolution, neuroscience and translational research. In some of these settings, work with animal models, such as rodents, frogs or zebrafish, is currently an essential part of the scientific process. Equally essential is the work of the people who care for them, support research teams and ensure that the work is carried out according to the highest standards of quality and animal welfare.
For this reason, over the coming months the PRBB will launch an internal assessment to better understand how this reality is experienced within the Park. The initiative has been promoted jointly with the PRBB Animal Facility and the occupational risk prevention and human resources teams.
This assessment will be carried out with the support of Anneke Keizer, a professional specialised in compassion fatigue in the field of laboratory animal science. The process will include awareness-raising actions, information gathering and confidential listening spaces between 23 and 25 November, with the aim of better understanding what needs exist and how this phenomenon is perceived within the PRBB community.
Making this reality visible is a first step towards reducing stigma, breaking isolation and building a scientific culture that is more open, more caring and more sustainable.
