Burnout among Medical and Dental Students: Prevalence, Determinants, and Coping Mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the burnout and resilience scores among medical and dental students and to identify the factors that affect burnout and resilience of the students.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Bahria University Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan, from March to September 2023.

METHODOLOGY

A calculated sample of 392 students participated in this cross-sectional study. In which students self-administered the Burnout Assessment Test (BAT-23) and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were determined using frequency and percentages and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

The mean age of the students was 21.6 ± 1.6 years predominantly females from a medical college, studying in clinical years, and residing in hostels or rented flats. The total burnout was 38%, out of which academic burnout was 80%. Among the four burnout categories, most of the students experienced exhaustion (87.5%) followed by cognitive impairment. The brief resilience score was high which assessed the coping mechanism, and 74.5% of the students had normal resilience. Medical students in clinical years living with a family, spending few hours on social media, having financial difficulties, and having lower resilience are all associated with a slightly higher burnout score.

CONCLUSION

The students displayed elevated brief resilience scores, signifying proficient coping strategies despite high academic burnout frequency. Exhaustion was the most widespread in the burnout categories, and factors linked to a slightly increased burnout score encompassed being a medical student in clinical years, living with family, dedicating more time to social media, encountering financial challenges, and possessing lower resilience.

KEY WORDS

Burnout, Resilience, Medical students, Exhaustion.