STRESS AND BURNOUT SYNDROME AMONG MOROCCAN MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background:Christina Maslach and colleagues define burnout as a psychological syndrome in response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job which is further characterized by its three dimensions of exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment. Burnout and stress are symptomatically similar, with burnout attributed specifically to occupational or academic stressors. Both can cause seriousconsequences on studenthealth, professionalism, and patient care. There are few studies evaluating the level of stress and burnoutsyndrome among medical students in Morocco.The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and levels of burnout syndrome to identify associated factors as well as the level of stress among a group of medical students in Morocco. Method: Our study was descriptive andcross-sectional. It focused on 5th grade level medical students and was carried out during the month of November 2014. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire based on volunteering. Results:The study was conducted in a total of 178 fifth-year medical students. The response rate was 97.2% (n = 173). The mean age was 22.2 years (SD = 0.87 years) with a female predominance (74%). The average daily working hours were 8.33 hours (SD= 2.74) and the average daily hours of sleep was 7 hours (SD= 1.1). The majority of students (96.5%) were single.The prevalence of burnout, based on Maslach Burnout Inventory, was 49% (n = 87) of students.The prevalence of high emotional exhaustion was 44%, high depersonalization was 33.3% and high burnout score for personal accomplishment accounted for 64 %.We found a positive correlation between the number of working hours and the burnout score (r = 0.341, p <0.001) as well as the stress score (r=0.3, p=0.009). We also found a negative correlation between the number of hours of sleep and the Burnout score (r = -0.215, p = 0.019).Clearly, this study provides an idea for necessity to plan specific interventions to reduce student stress and avoid burnout.