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Mar 30, 2024;60 (4):

Is There a Burnout Epidemic among Medical Students? Results from a Systematic Review.

Matteo Di Vincenzo, Eleonora Arsenio, Bianca Della Rocca, Anna Rosa, Lucia Tretola, Rita Toricco, Alessia Boiano, Pierluigi Catapano, Sandra Cavaliere, Antonio Volpicelli, Gaia Sampogna, Andrea Fiorillo
Author Information
  1. Matteo Di Vincenzo: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy. ORCID
  2. Eleonora Arsenio: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  3. Bianca Della Rocca: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  4. Anna Rosa: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  5. Lucia Tretola: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  6. Rita Toricco: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  7. Alessia Boiano: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  8. Pierluigi Catapano: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy. ORCID
  9. Sandra Cavaliere: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  10. Antonio Volpicelli: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  11. Gaia Sampogna: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
  12. Andrea Fiorillo: Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
PMID: 38674221 DOI: 10.3390/medicina60040575

Abstract

: Medical students represent the ideal target group for promoting mental health and mental wellbeing, being exposed to specific risk factors, such as the content of medical training, the exposure to sickness and death, and a stressful academic routine. Medical students report high levels of cynicism and emotional exhaustion, which represent two of the essential features of burnout syndrome. In this systematic review, studies assessing the levels of burnout among medical students through validated tools worldwide were analyzed. : A systematic review has been performed in order to identify studies: (1) focusing on samples of medical students; (2) evaluating burnout syndrome using validated tools; (3) providing prevalence data on burnout; and (4) written in English. : Out of the 5547 papers initially obtained, 64 were finally included in the analysis. The sample sizes ranged from 51 to 2682 participants. Almost all studies had a cross-sectional design; the Maslach Burnout Inventory and its related versions were the most frequently used assessment tools. The prevalence of burnout, which was stratified based on gender and academic stage, ranged from 5.6 to 88%. Burnout was mostly predicted by thoughts of stopping medical education, negative life events, lack of support, dissatisfaction, and poor motivation. : The prevalence of burnout syndrome in medical students is quite heterogeneous, reaching a peak of 88% in some countries. However, several predictors have been identified, including negative life events or poor motivation. These findings highlight the need to develop preventive interventions targeting the future generation of medical doctors, in order to improve their coping strategies and resilience styles.

Keywords

burnout medical students mental exhaustion prevention severe mental disorder

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MeSH Term

Humans
Students, Medical
Burnout, Professional
Burnout, Psychological
Prevalence
Female
Male
Cross-Sectional Studies
Systematic Review Journal Article Review
Article has an altmetric score of 8

Word Cloud

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