Abstract
Background: Burnout is one of the most prevalent dimensions of distress, medical students are facing during their study.
Objectives: to investigate the prevalence of burnout and its associated risk factors among female medical students in Taif University.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on female medical students using an online questionnaire. Data about socio-demographic characteristics were collected and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) was used.
Results: The prevalence of burnout was about 23% of 213 participants. With 27% reporting high levels of EE, 62.4% had a high level of DP and a low level of PA was found among 8.9%. Most students who have burnout (65.3%) were studying more than 5 hours a day (0.025). Lower frequency of practicing exercise was a significant predictor of burnout (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1-4.9, p = 0.017) as estimated by logistic regression analysis. A high percentage of DP was reported among the first year and the six year students (17.3 % and 18.8% respectively) (p=0.006).
Conclusion: Year of study, study hours, leisure time activities and exercise are factors influencing burnout among female medical students in Taif, KSA. Effective coping strategies should be considered to minimize burnout levels. Simple methods such as increased physical activity, leisure time activities and group discussion may reduce the likelihood of the development of burnout.