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Occupational stress, work-home interference and burnout among Belgian veterinary practitioners
1University of Liège, Faculty of Psychology, Work Psychology Department, Liège, Belgium. ihansez@ulg.ac.be.
Irish Veterinary Journal
|August 20, 2011
Summary
Veterinary surgeons experience significant work-home interference and burnout, though job strain and engagement are comparable to other professions. Rural vets show lower engagement, while bovine vets cite farmer relations and time management as key stressors.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Occupational Health Psychology
Background:
- Limited formal research exists on stress in veterinary surgeons.
- Previous studies have not jointly examined job strain, engagement, work environment stressors, and work-home interference.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze job engagement, job strain, burnout, work-home interference, and stress factors in Belgian veterinary surgeons.
- To compare these factors across rural, small animal, and mixed veterinary practice types.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 216 Belgian veterinary surgeons.
- Assessment of job strain, job engagement, burnout, work-home interference, and sources of stress.
- Comparative analysis between rural, small animal, and mixed practice types.
Main Results:
- Mean job strain and engagement levels were not higher than in other working populations.
- 15.6% of veterinary surgeons reported high burnout.
- Rural practitioners had lower job engagement; small animal practitioners had lower job strain.
- Veterinary surgeons reported more negative work-home interference than other Belgian and Dutch workers.
- Bovine and mixed practitioners were most affected by work-home interference.
- Key stressors for bovine practitioners included farmer relations and working time management.
Conclusions:
- While overall job strain and engagement are comparable to other professions, burnout and work-home interference are significant concerns for veterinary surgeons.
- Practice type influences job engagement and strain, with rural and mixed practices facing unique challenges.
- Addressing work-home interference and specific stressors like farmer relations and time management is crucial for veterinary well-being.
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