Stress, Burnout, and Coping Strategies Among Hungarian Veterinarians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61177/HISZ.2026.17.1.2Keywords:
veterinarian, perceived stress, burnout, coping strategy, mental healthAbstract
The aim of the present study was to map the psychological health indicators of Hungarian veterinarians and compare them with the general population, as a growing body of international scientific literature draws attention to the critical state of veterinarian’s mental health, Data collection was conducted via an online questionnaire using non-probability snowball and convenience sampling methods. The total sample consisted of 131 individuals (M= 37 years; SD= 12.74 years), of whom 67 veterinarians formed the study group (M= 36.2 years; SD= 10.8 years), and 61 individuals constituted the control group, consisting of active employees undifferentiated by occupation (M= 38.2 years; SD= 14.6 years). The veterinarian group included 54 women and 13 men, while the control group consisted of 42 women and 19 men. The Hungarian versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) were used to assess mental health status. Based on independent samples t-tests, veterinarians scored significantly higher in perceived stress (p= .014, d= .395) than members of the control group. Regarding burnout, significant differences were found in the dimensions of emotional exhaustion (p= .008, d= .431) and depersonalization (p= .001, d= .579). Within the veterinarian group, women were significantly more exposed to stress (p< .001, d= 1.057) and were more prone to utilizing maladaptive coping strategies (p= .002, d= .952). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that younger veterinarians perceive higher levels of stress than their older colleagues (rs= -.207, p= .046). The results highlight the vulnerability of the mental health of Hungarian veterinarians, these findings underscore the urgent need for further studies, as well as the implementation of targeted preventive and supportive interventions within the veterinary profession.
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