Association of Academic Events and Coping Strategies with the Presence of Burnout-Engagement in Medical Students

Abstract

Medical students are exposed to the development of burnout syndrome. Engagement, a syndrome theoretically "opposite" to burnout, shows a positive influence on personal and academic performance. An analytical observational, follow-up cohort study was performed among medical students from the Final practice of a public university to determine the association between the presence of burnout and engagement with the perception of academic stress and the use of coping strategies. A series of questionnaires were used to evaluate variables. 103 students participated. A descriptive and inferential analysis was performed with association of relevant variables and comparison between groups. The significance level was 5%. The burnout rate was 40% in the first and second stage. The engagement frequency was 10% in the first stage and 7% in the second. Statistically significant associations were found between both syndromes and academic events and coping strategies. It would be necessary to include within medical education spaces that would enable students to discuss academic stress, and promote the development of strategies to encourage coping with different stressful situations they must undergo during their training.