Mary Beth Spitznagel

Research Areas:

• Clinical - Assessment 
• Clinical - Health
• Clinical - Adult

Does Dr. Spitznagel plan to recruit a doctoral student for the next incoming class?

Specialty:

Adult Clinical Psychology, Veterinary Psychology, Human Animal Interaction

Research Interests:

Veterinary Psychology, Human Animal Interaction, Caregiver Burden, Occupational Distress, Burden Transfer, Stress, Burnout

Lab Sites:

Pet Caregiver Burden Science Blog

Burden Transfer Research in Veterinary Medicine

Courses Frequently Taught:

• Introduction to Psychological Assessment (graduate)
• Advanced Psychological Assessment (graduate)
• Clinical Neuroanatomy (graduate/undergraduate)
• Psychology of Exercise (undergraduate)

Selected Recent Publications:

• Spitznagel MB, Martin JT, Was C, Updegraff ASG, Sislak M, Wiborg L, Fulkerson CM, Twohig MP. (2023). Self-paced acceptance and commitment training program reduces burden transfer, stress, and burnout in veterinary healthcare teams. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. doi.10.2460/javma.23.01.0037
• Blokland K, Coe J, Spitznagel MB. (2023). Veterinary team members experiencing high levels of burden transfer are more likely to report burnout and a less-optimal psychosocial work environment. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. doi: 10.2460/javma.23.06.0354
• Spitznagel MB, Martin JT, Updegraff J, Hillier A, Gober M. (2023). Assessment of owner perceptions of caregiver burden, veterinarian-client relationship and satisfaction with the provider in canine pruritus: An experimental vignette study. Veterinary Dermatology. doi: 10.1111/vde.13225
• A Kuntz K, Ballantyne K, Cousins E, Spitznagel MB. (2023). Assessment of caregiver burden in owners of dogs with behavioral problems and factors related to its presence. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, doi.10.1016/j.jveb.2023.05.006
• Spitznagel MB, Gober M, Patrick K. (2023). Caregiver burden in cat owners: a cross-sectional observational study. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. doi.org/10.1177/1098612X221145835
• Spitznagel MB, Updegraff ASG, Was C, Martin JT, Wiborg LM, Sislak M, Twohig MP. (2022). Acceptance and commitment training program reduces burden transfer, stress, and burnout in veterinary healthcare teams. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.22.05.0196
• Spitznagel MB, Martin JM, Carlson MD, Fulkerson CM. (2022). Validation of the Burden Transfer Inventory–Abbreviated and examination across veterinary medicine positions and settings. Veterinary Record Open. doi: 10.1002/vro2.46.
• Spitznagel MB, Patrick K, Hillier A, Gober M, Carlson MD. (2022). Caregiver burden, treatment complexity, and the veterinarian-client relationship in owners of dogs with skin disease. Veterinary Dermatology. doi: 10.1111/vde.13065
• Spitznagel MB, Hillier A, Gober M, Carlson MD. (2021). Treatment complexity and caregiver burden are linked in owners of dogs with allergic/atopic dermatitis. Veterinary Dermatology. doi/10.1111/vde.12938. 
• Spitznagel MB, Anderson JR, Marchitelli B, Bibbo J, Sislak M, Carlson MD. (2021). Owner quality of life, caregiver burden, and anticipatory grief:  How they differ and why it matters. Veterinary Record. doi/10.1002/vetr.74.
• Shaevitz M, Tullius J, Callah RT, Fulkerson C, Spitznagel MB. (2020). Early caregiver burden in owners of pets with suspected cancer:  Relationship to owner psychosocial outcomes, communication behavior, and treatment factors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. doi: 10.1111/jvim.15905.
• Spitznagel MB, Mueller MK, Fraychak T, Hoffman AM, Carlson MD. (2019). Validation of an abbreviated instrument to assess veterinary client caregiver burden. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, doi.10.1111/jvim.15508
• Spitznagel MB, Ben-Porath YS, Rishniw M, Kogan L, Carlson MD. (2019). Development and validation of a Burden Transfer Inventory measure for predicting veterinarian stress related to client behavior. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 254, 124-132.  
• Spitznagel MB, Jacobson DM, Cox MD, Carlson MD (2018). Predicting caregiver burden in general veterinary clients: Contribution of companion animal clinical signs and behavior problems. The Veterinary Journal, 236; 23-30.
• Spitznagel MB, Jacobson DM, Cox MD, Carlson MD (2017). Caregiver burden in owners of a sick companion animal: A cross-sectional observational study. Veterinary Record. doi: 10.1136/vr.104295