Academic Burnout, Stress, and the Role of Resilience in a Sample of Saudi Arabian Medical Students.

Abstract

Background: Medical school can be difficult and stressful. Academic burnout is described as exhaustion from curricular activities. Medical students are more likely to experience anxiety.

Objective: This study investigated the level of academic burnout and stress as well as their level of resilience.

Methods: Saudi medical students were surveyed in a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. We used the following scales: Perceived Stress Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, and the Connor-Davidson Brief Resilience Scale to assess stress, academic burnout, and resilience respectively.

Results: The mean score for emotional exhaustion, 20.23 ± 6.8, indicated a high level of burnout among students. The students reported a moderate level of stress. Females, students who were single or lived away from home had higher levels of burnout in certain domains. Students with a higher level of resilience experienced less stress and burnout.

Conclusion: Academic burnout has a negative impact on mental health. Effective interventions should be designed to assist students to cope better with stress and also identify solutions to avoid burnout. More research is needed to investigate the social and environmental factors contributing to medical student burnout.