Factors Associated with Burnout Syndrome among Clinical Medical Students at Chonburi Hospital, Thailand

Abstract

Objective: Burnout syndrome causes chronic fatigue, loss of motivation, despair, decreased work performance, and depression. Clinical medical students risk developing burnout syndrome due to long-term learning pressure, responsibilities for patient care and night shifts. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with burnout syndrome among clinical medical students at Chonburi Hospital.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 and January 2023. Data were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey among 106 medical students. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, ANOVA, and the independent t-test were used to investigate the association among variables.Results: Severe burnout syndrome was not found among clinical medical students. High emotional exhaustion was the most common burnout symptom among these medical students (53.8%). While 27.3% had high depersonalization, no medical students had low personal accomplishment. The factor related to high emotional exhaustion was 4th-year medical students. At the same time, the factors associated with high depersonalization were fourth-year medical students, males, and low accumulated grade point averages (GPAX).Conclusion: The prevalence of severe burnout was not found among clinical medical students at Chonburi Hospital. However, males, fourth-year medical students, and low GPAX were risk factors for burnout symptoms. Therefore, screening, monitoring, and providing help to these at-risk medical students to reduce their chances of severe burnout should be encouraged.