Psychological Distress, Burnout, and Academic Performance in First Year College Students

Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual, Irene Cambra Badii, Joan-Carles Casas-Baroy, Cristina Altarriba, Anna Comella Company, Ramon Pujol-Farriols, Josep-Eladi Baños, Paola Galbany-Estragués and Agustí Comella Cayuela
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Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Irene Cambra Badii: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Joan-Carles Casas-Baroy: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Cristina Altarriba: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Anna Comella Company: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Ramon Pujol-Farriols: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Josep-Eladi Baños: School of Medicine, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Paola Galbany-Estragués: Group on Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain
Agustí Comella Cayuela: Chair in Medical Education, Universitat de Vic–Universitat Central de Catalunya, 08500 Vic, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Background: The first years of university can be very challenging for students. Previous research has focused on the study of the prevalence of burnout and of psychological distress in medical students. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of psychological symptoms and burnout reported by first-year students, the relationship between these variables and their academic performance, and the differences between health and non-health sciences students. Methods: An observational study with a cross-sectional design was performed. Students of health sciences (medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, psychology), and non-health sciences (biology, social sciences, business management, and engineering) undergraduate programs completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Students’ grades for the first semester were collected. Results: A sample of 506 students participated. Prevalence of psychological distress was 27.1% and burnout was 7.3%. Academic performance was unaffected in relation to either psychological distress or burnout. Non-health sciences students showed a greater risk of depression. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the high prevalence of psychological distress in the first year of college. Even when burnout prevalence was low, the results suggest the need to introduce prevention programs to improve the psychological wellbeing of these students.

Keywords: burnout; psychological distress; academic performance; mental health; university students; medical students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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