Prevalence of Burnout and Its Association with Academic Stress among MBBS, BDS, and Allied Health Sciences Students in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Prevalence of Burnout and Its Association with Academic Stress
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pbmj.v9i6.1374Keywords:
Burnout, Psychological, Students, Health Occupations, Academic StressAbstract
The situation of healthcare students suffering from burnout is a global issue, but there is limited data on the subject across various healthcare disciplines in Pakistan (MBBS, BDS, Allied Health Sciences). Objectives: To establish the prevalence, explore the relationship between academic stress and burnout, and to compare the dimensions of academic stress with the highest correlation scores with burnout, and to compare the level of burnout across demographic factors. Methods: The study was of cross-sectional descriptive analytical design conducted in three institutions of Pakistan in the period of January 2026 – April, 2026. Academic stress (8 items) and burnout (12 items) were measured using a structured questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Because data distributions were non-normal, non-parametric tests were used (Spearman's correlation, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal- Wallis), and the results were based on 306 valid responses. Results: In general, 85.7% of students had medium (65.9%) or severe (19.8%) burnout. Total academic stress correlated significantly with burnout (ρ=0.363, 95% CI: 0.257–0.470, p<0.001). The individual correlation with “No revision time” was the highest (ρ=0.252). There were no significant differences between males and females, program, year of study, or residence regarding burnout (all p>0.005). Conclusions: The study found that around 85.7% of the Pakistani healthcare students are experiencing burnout, mainly due to chronic time constraints and cumulative workload. Systemic institutional changes such as curricular changes and accessible mental health support are urgently needed.
References
Sperling EL, Hulett JM, Sherwin LB, Thompson S, Bettencourt BA. The Effect of Mindfulness Interventions on Stress in Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2023 Oct; 18(10): e0286387. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286387. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286387
Di Vincenzo M, Arsenio E, Della Rocca B, Rosa A, Tretola L, Toricco R et al. Is There a Burnout Epidemic among Medical Students? Results from a Systematic Review. Medicina. 2024 Mar; 60(4): 575. doi: 10.3390/medicina60040575. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60040575
Almutairi H, Alsubaiei A, Abduljawad S, Alshatti A, Fekih-Romdhane F, Husni M et al. Prevalence of Burnout in Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2022 Sep; 68(6): 1157-70. doi: 10.1177/00207640221106691. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221106691
Ortega MV, Hidrue MK, Lehrhoff SR, Ellis DB, Sisodia RC, Curry WT et al. Patterns in Physician Burnout in A Stable-Linked Cohort. Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. 2023 Oct; 6(10): e2336745. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36745. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36745
Rosales-Ricardo Y, Rizzo-Chunga F, Mocha-Bonilla J, Ferreira JP. Prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in University Students: A Systematic Review. Salud Mental. 2021 Apr; 44(2): 91-102. doi: 10.17711/SM.0185-3325.2021.013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17711/SM.0185-3325.2021.013
Mao Y, Zhang N, Liu J, Zhu B, He R, Wang X. A Systematic Review of Depression and Anxiety in Medical Students in China. BioMed Central Medical Education. 2019 Sep; 19(1): 327. doi: 10.1186/s12909-019-1744-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1744-2
Bickerton GR and Miner M. Conservation of Resources Theory and Spirituality at Work: When A Resource Is Not Always a Resource. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. 2023 May; 15(2): 241. doi: 10.1037/rel0000416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000416
Demerouti E and Bakker AB. Job Demands-Resources Theory in Times of Crises: New Propositions. Organizational Psychology Review. 2023 Aug; 13(3): 209-36. doi: 10.1177/20413866221135022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20413866221135022
Agyapong-Opoku N, Agyapong-Opoku F, Agyapong B, Greenshaw AJ. Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students—A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025; 13: 1710333. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1710333. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1710333
Bahlaq MA, Ramadan IK, Abalkhail B, Mirza AA, Ahmed MK, Alraddadi KS et al. Burnout, Stress, and Stimulant Abuse Among Medical and Dental Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: An Analytical Study. Saudi Journal of Medicine & Medical Sciences. 2023 Jan; 11(1): 44-53. doi: 10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_98_22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_98_22
Aljadani AH, Alsolami A, Almehmadi S, Alhuwaydi A, Fathuldeen A. Epidemiology of Burnout and Its Association with Academic Performance among Medical Students at Hail University, Saudi Arabia. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2021 Jun; 21(2): e231. doi: 10.18295/squmj.2021.21.02.011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2021.21.02.011
Dabbagh R, Alwatban L, Alrubaiaan M, Alharbi S, Aldahkil S, AlMuteb M et al. Depression, Stress, Anxiety and Burnout among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Trainees in Saudi Arabia Over Two Decades: A Systematic Review. Medical Teacher. 2023 May; 45(5): 499-509. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2022.2139669. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2022.2139669
Chunming WM, Harrison R, MacIntyre R, Travaglia J, Balasooriya C. Burnout in Medical Students: A Systematic Review of Experiences in Chinese Medical Schools. BioMed Central Medical Education. 2017 Nov; 17(1): 217. doi: 10.1186/s12909-017-1064-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-1064-3
Kordzanganeh Z, Bakhtiarpour S, Hafezi F, Dashtbozorgi Z. The Relationship Between Time Management and Academic Burnout with the Mediating Role of Test Anxiety and Self-Efficacy Beliefs among University Students. Journal of Medical Education. 2021 February; 20(1): e112142. doi: 10.5812/jme.112142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5812/jme.112142
Hoang TH, Ngo QD, Pham KM, Le TQ, Hoang KL, Truong QD et al. Enhancing Mental Health Education: Mindfulness, Resilience and Social Support as Protective Factors Against Depression in University Settings. Health Education. 2026 Feb: 1-8. doi: 10.1108/HE-10-2024-0122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-10-2024-0122
Al-Lawati J, Al-Habsi A, Al-Shuraiqi M, Al-Adawi S, Panchatcharam SM. Prevalence and Determinants of Burnout Syndrome and Depression Among Medical Students at Sultan Qaboos University: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study from Oman. Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health. 2019 May 4;74(3):130-9. doi: 10.1080/19338244.2017.1400941. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2017.1400941
Tran TT, Nguyen NB, Luong MA, Bui TH, Phan TD, Tran VO et al. Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Clinical Nurses in Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Survey and Cluster Analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Systems. 2019 Jan; 13(1): 3. doi: 10.1186/s13033-018-0257-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-018-0257-4
West CP, Dyrbye LN, Erwin PJ, Shanafelt TD. Interventions to Prevent and Reduce Physician Burnout: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Lancet. 2016 Nov; 388(10057): 2272-81. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31279-X. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31279-X
Dyrbye LN, West CP, Satele D, Boone S, Tan L, Sloan J et al. Burnout among US Medical Students, Residents, and Early Career Physicians Relative to the General US Population. Academic Medicine. 2014 Mar; 89(3): 443-51. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000134
Kaggwa MM, Kajjimu J, Sserunkuma J, Najjuka SM, Atim LM, Olum R et al. Prevalence of Burnout among University Students in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE. 2021 Aug; 16(8): e0256402. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256402. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256402
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pakistan BioMedical Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access journal and all the published articles / items are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For comments editor@pakistanbmj.com
