Stress, Burnout, and Associated Risk Factors in Medical Students

Stress, Burnout, and Associated Risk Factors in Medical Students

Objectives To determine the prevalence of and the risk factors associated with burnout and stress for medical students in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional, survey-based study was distributed between January and February 2018 among all 500 medical students from the first to fifth years in a me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 12; no. 1; p. e6633
Main Authors: Shadid, Asem, Shadid, Abdullah M, Shadid, Abdulrahman, Almutairi, Faisal E, Almotairi, Khalid E, Aldarwish, Talal, Alzamil, Omar, Alkholaiwi, Feras, Khan, Salah-Ud-Din
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Cureus Inc 12-01-2020
Cureus
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Burnout
Coping
Demographics
Extracurricular activities
Families & family life
Hypotheses
Hypothesis testing
Living arrangements
Marital status
Medical Education
Medical students
Psychiatry
Quality Improvement
Questionnaires
Risk factors
Stress
Students
Variables
Saudi Arabia
stress
coping strategies
medical education
extracurricular activities
medical students
academic performance
burnout
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Summary:Objectives To determine the prevalence of and the risk factors associated with burnout and stress for medical students in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional, survey-based study was distributed between January and February 2018 among all 500 medical students from the first to fifth years in a medical college; 356 of the students responded (71.2% response rate). Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) while the stress level was measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Socio-demographics, professional characteristics, and participation in extracurricular activities were also included as possible predictors of burnout and stress. Results The study revealed that the stress level was (51.7%, n= 184) and the rate of high burnout was (38.2%, n= 136), expressing high exhaustion (77.8%, n=277), high cynicism (65.7%, n=234), and low academic efficiency (45.5%, n=162). Half of the students (50%, n=178) participated in extracurricular activities and were involved in one or more activities such as organizing activities and medical volunteering (n = 52, 14.6%), research (n = 59, 16.6%), and physical exercise (n = 71, 10.4%). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between overall burnout and a lower grade point average (GPA) (OR = 0.581, p 0.004, 95% CI = 0.400 to 0.843). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between stress and students with a lower GPA (OR = 0.737, P = 0.0.23, 95% CI = 0.566 to 0.959); stress was also higher in students who were not involved in any extracurricular activities (OR 1.893, P = 0.004, 95% CI = 1.22 to 2.918). Conclusion Our study shows high burnout rates among medical students. Low GPA students in this study showed a higher overall burnout. Stress was high in our study participants and was higher in students with a low GPA and in students who were not involved in any extracurricular activities.
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ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.6633