Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress and Burnout among Medical Students: Findings from Two Campuses

Nik Muhammad Nik Ahmad Arif, Nurhanis Syazni Roslan, Shaiful Bahari Ismail, Ramyashilpa D. Nayak, Muhamad Ridzuan Jamian, Alya Syahmina Mohamad Ali Roshidi, Teh Chen Edward, Muhammad Aiman Kamal, Muhammad Mujaahid Mohd Amin, Shukri Shaari and Muhammad Fikri Shaharudin Basri
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Nik Muhammad Nik Ahmad Arif: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Nurhanis Syazni Roslan: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Shaiful Bahari Ismail: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Ramyashilpa D. Nayak: USM-KLE International Medical Program Campus, Belgaum 590010, Karnataka, India
Muhamad Ridzuan Jamian: USM-KLE International Medical Program Campus, Belgaum 590010, Karnataka, India
Alya Syahmina Mohamad Ali Roshidi: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Teh Chen Edward: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Muhammad Aiman Kamal: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Muhammad Mujaahid Mohd Amin: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Shukri Shaari: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
Muhammad Fikri Shaharudin Basri: School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: Medical training is intensive and predisposes students to psychological distress and burnout. Unaddressed burnout in medical training may persist in the internship phase and impact the quality of patient care. While some associations have been established, the link between some individual factors and training characteristics with distress and burnout in medical training remained unclear. In this study, we aim to examine the prevalence of psychological distress and burnout, and its association with gender, training phase, funding status, cumulative grade points average (CGPA), and coping strategies among medical students. The study applied a multicenter cross-sectional study design and convenience sampling on medical students from two medical schools from Malaysia and India. We used a self-reporting instrument that includes demographic details, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE). A total of 748 medical students participated in the study. The prevalence of psychological distress, personal-related, work-related, and patient-related burnout were 33.0%, 56.1%, 35.0%, and 26.2%, respectively. Being male, clinical year, self-funded, and having a CGPA of more than 3.50 predicted psychological distress and burnout with mixed results. Maladaptive coping mechanisms consistently predicted the risk of psychological distress and burnout by more than two times. The findings indicate that primary and secondary mental health interventions have a role in medical training. A systematic intervention should incorporate coping skills training alongside institutional-targeted intervention.

Keywords: burnout; psychological distress; medical student; prevalence; student well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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