Assessment of the Level of Burnout, Types of Coping Mechanisms and their Determinants Among Clinical Medical Students in Bingham University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as an occupational phenomenon that affects anyone, regardless of profession or phenomenon. Burnout is defined in ICD-11 as a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.

Aim: To evaluate the rate of burnout, the coping methods used and the reasons behind them among clinical medical students in Bingham University Teaching Hospital

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional research was employed. 239 students at Bingham University Teaching Hospital were given questionnaires. SPSS was used to analyze the data, which was then shown in tables and charts. Statistical significance between categorical variables was tested using the chi-square test, with a significance level set at p≤0.05.

Results: Prevalence of burnout is 10.8%. 42.5% of respondents have high levels of emotional exhaustion, while 15.3% show high levels of cynicism. However, 1.5% of respondents show low levels of professional efficacy. 83.6% use problem-focused mechanisms, while 89.6% make high use of emotion-focused mechanisms. Amongst academic-related stressors, a majority of respondents showed high levels of stress (87.3%). Of those surveyed, 25% reported significant levels of stress from interpersonal stressors, 35.4% from teaching-learning stressors, 35.4% from drive and want stressors, and 39.6% from stressors connected to group activities. Stressors connected to drive and desire, stressors related to group activities, marital status, and academic year are all significantly associated with burnout.

Conclusion: This study assessed the level of Burnout, type of coping mechanisms and their determinants, among Clinical medical students revealed that Burnout is prevalent among Medical students, with 42.5% high emotional exhaustion and 15% cynicism. However, 98.5% maintained high professional efficacy showing resilience, most students make use of positive coping mechanism especially problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies such as active coping and positive reframing. Despite a moderate burnout level, the students adaptive coping indicates proactive stress management.

Recommendations: For the students to seek support and manage their time well. The university needs to provide a positive environment for learning and to establish a counselling and wellness centre. Parents need to be role models to their children to emulate effective ways of coping with situations. The government can integrate mental health education into the academic curriculum.