Predictors of burnout and well-being among veterinarians in Slovenia

Podpečan, Ožbalt (author), Hlebec, Valentina (author), Kuhar, Metka (author), Kubale, Valentina (author), Jakovac-Strajn, Breda (author)

Burnout is a major challenge for the veterinary profession and is closely linked to negative effects on mental health, reduced job satisfaction and impaired professional sustainability. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of burnout symptoms among Slovenian veterinarians and their association with factors such as work–life balance, ethical dilemmas and overall job satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2024, to which all registered Slovenian veterinarians (N = 1250) were invited. The response rate was 38% (N = 473). Burnout was assessed using the Mayo Clinic Physicians Wellbeing Index, which captures both the traditional burnout dimensions and broader indicators of psychological distress such as anxiety and depression. Results showed that 45.5% of veterinarians reported low burnout, 26.4% reported moderate burnout, and 28.3% reported high burnout. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that work–life imbalance, ethical conflicts and long working hours were significant predictors of burnout symptoms, with younger veterinarians and women being disproportionately affected. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the systemic and individual factors that contribute to burnout in veterinary practice. Tailored interventions that focus on improving work–life balance, enhancing ethical decision-making and promoting mental health awareness are recommended to mitigate the risks of burnout. These findings contribute to the growing literature on veterinarian well-being and provide valuable insight into the development of targeted strategies to promote veterinarians’ mental health and career sustainability.

• Language: English
• Keywords: veterinarian burnout, mental health in veterinarians, work–life balance, burnout predictors, ethical dilemmas
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Slovenija
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty; FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 4, art. 387
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175303
• UDC: 636.09:005.32:331.101.32
• ISSN on article: 2306-7381
• DOI: 10.3390/vetsci12040387
• COBISS.SI-ID: 233474819
• Publication date in RUL: 20.11.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Veterinary sciences
• Shortened title: Vet. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2306-7381
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523429657

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: veterinarji, izgorelost, duštevno zdravje, ravnotežje med delom in življenjem, napovedaovalci izgorelosti, egične dileme

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0092-2020
• Name: Zdravje živali, okolje in varna hrana