Creation and Validation of a Tool for Evaluating Caregiver Burnout Syndrome in Owners of Dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ) Diagnosed with Behavior Disorders

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 9; p. 1185
• Main Authors: Barrios, Carmen Luz, Gornall, Vanessa, Bustos-López, Carlos, Cirac, Rosa, Calvo, Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 05.05.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal euthanasia; Animals; Behavior disorders; behavioral disorders; Burnout; Canis lupus familiaris; caregiver burnout; Caregivers; Delphi method; Dogs; Domestic animals; Emotions; Euthanasia; Evaluation; Exhaustion; Human populations; human–animal bond; instrument validation; Overloading; psychometric scales; Questionnaires; Statistical analysis; Chile; caregiver burnout; psychometric scales; instrument validation; human–animal bond; behavioral disorders
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani12091185

Currently, domestic dogs ( ) are the most common species among companion animals. The close bond that can grow between owners and their dogs could be worn out and finally broken due to various causes. One main cause is canine behavioral problems, leading to dogs being abandoned or euthanized due to the costs faced by the owner when caring for the animal. Tools have been developed to evaluate the mental and emotional cost of caring for humans, but there is currently no validated tool for evaluating this particular problem. The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to evaluate caregiver burnout syndrome for owners of dogs with behavioral disorders. The methodology used consisted of drafting the tool, peer validation using the Delphi methodology and internal validation via Cronbach's alpha. Non-linear snowball sampling was used ( = 156 participants). A questionnaire with 35 questions was obtained which referred to various aspects of caregivers' lives. Regarding the description of the sample used, 50% had Low Burnout, 41% had Medium-Low Burnout and 9% had Medium-High Burnout. Furthermore, regarding the internal validation of the questionnaire, the general Cronbach's alpha coefficient was α = 0.9468. We can thus conclude that the questionnaire is valid for measuring caregiver burnout syndrome in owners of dogs with behavioral disorders.