Burnout syndrome prevalence in veterinarians working in Chile

Abstract: Burnout Syndrome is a psycho-emotional syndrome that affects workers in any activity or profession. In recent years, veterinarians have been described as one of the most affected professionals, which has motivated the development of this research. The primary objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in veterinarians working in Chile. We evaluated the possible correlation of Burnout Syndrome with socio-demographic variables. The Socio-Demographic Characterization Survey and the Maslach Burnout Syndrome Inventory-General Survey (MBI) were applied to 521 participants, who were contacted through the Veterinary Medical Association of Chile (COLMEVET) and social networks. Fisher and Chi-square statistical tests and correspondence analysis were used to determine the association among variables. The prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in Chilean veterinarians was 24% (124/521). There was statistical significance between Burnout Syndrome and the variables ‘years in employment’ and ‘monthly salary’. There is a high prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in veterinarians working in Chile that was related to the variables ‘years in employment’ and ‘monthly salary’. Prevention using psychological therapy could reduce the incidence of symptoms linked to adaptive difficulties, cognitive discrepancies, psychological discomfort, and emotional regulation, promoting health improvement and resistance to Burnout Syndrome in Chilean veterinarians. This research corresponds to the first exploratory study related to the subject in Chile.