ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Burnout, an extensively prevalent and consequential concern among students, is often underestimated. Medical schools are recognized as environments with elevated stress levels for students, leading to a perceived higher prevalence of burnout among medical students compared to other populations. Students who experience burnout may also be more likely to engage in unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors, such as substance abuse, poor sleep hygiene, and social isolation. It is a common problem among medical students, who face high levels of stress, workload, and academic pressure.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence, correlated factors, and coping mechanisms pertaining to burnout among medical students enrolled in the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2023 amongst 327 medical students at the University of Benin, Benin City using a stratified sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The sample size was calculated by using the population proportion size determination formula for estimating one proportion for a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25.0 and the level of significance was set as p < 0.05. Data presentation was done using charts, frequency tables, and prose.

RESULT: A total of 327 respondents with a mean age (SD) of 22.21 (2.61) years participated in this study. A majority were experiencing ongoing burnout 325 (99.0%) and academic work overload 304 (93.0%) was the most common associated factor of ongoing burnout. The coping strategy used by a majority of the respondents was looking on the bright side of life 285 (87.7%).

CONCLUSION: Almost all medical students in the University of Benin experienced ongoing burnout. Time pressure and difficulty meeting deadlines, academic work overload and the pressure of assessments and examinations were the most common associated factors of ongoing burnout among medical students at the University of Benin. A majority of the medical students spoke with people to ease stress and looked on the bright side of life to cope with ongoing burnout.

KEYWORDS: Burnout, Medical students, Mental health, Prevalence