Samuele Noè, Matteo Serpieri, Paola Gatti, Matteo Cesare Stucchi, Giacomo Garzaro, Mitzy Mauthe von Degerfeld
Burnout is an occupational phenomenon resulting from poorly managed chronic workplace stress, and veterinary medicine is among the professions at highest risk. Veterinarians working with exotic animals represent a specialised professional subgroup whose wellbeing may affect the availability of dedicated care for non-traditional species. To our knowledge, no study has examined burnout in this population. This study estimated burnout prevalence and identified demographic, occupational, and psychosocial work factors associated with burnout in Italian veterinarians specialising in exotic animals, within the Job Demands-Resources framework. In this cross-sectional study, 190 professionals completed an online questionnaire including the Italian 12-item Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-12), demographic and occupational variables, and organisational and psychosocial work factors. Burnout risk was classified using pooled European BAT reference thresholds, which distinguish "no burnout," "at risk," and "severe burnout" categories. Associations with the total BAT-12 score were assessed using non-parametric tests, Spearman correlations, and multivariable ordinary least-squares regression. Overall, 45.3% of participants scored at or above the at-risk threshold, and 26.3% fell in the red category for severe burnout. Exhaustion was the most pronounced BAT-12 dimension. Client conflict showed the strongest independent positive association with burnout, whereas alignment with personal values, work-life balance, job autonomy, and number of children were associated with lower burnout scores. Workload intensity, age, and experience were not significantly associated with burnout. Burnout risk was frequent in this sample of Italian veterinarians specialising in exotic animals. The findings suggest that prevention strategies should address the qualitative and relational dimensions of veterinary work alongside workload management.