Burnout, Stress, and Stimulant Abuse among Medical and Dental Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: An Analytical Study

Mohannad A Bahlaq; Iman K Ramadan; Bahaa Abalkhail; Ahmad A Mirza; Malak K Ahmed; Khalid S Alraddadi; Mai Kadi

doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_98_22

Burnout, Stress, and Stimulant Abuse among Medical and Dental Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: An Analytical Study

Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023 Jan-Mar;11(1):44-53. doi: 10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_98_22. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Authors

Mohannad A Bahlaq¹, Iman K Ramadan^{2

3}, Bahaa Abalkhail², Ahmad A Mirza^{4

5}, Malak K Ahmed⁶, Khalid S Alraddadi⁷, Mai Kadi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Medicine, General Directorate of Health Affairs - Madinah Region, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Primary Health Care, National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: High levels of burnout, stress, and stimulant abuse have been reported among medical and dental students worldwide, with country-specific factors being contributors. The association, risk factors, and predictors of these three variables have not sufficiently been reported from Saudi Arabia, especially from the Western region.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, association, and predictors of burnout, stress, and stimulant abuse among medical and dental students in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included all second to sixth year medical and dental students enrolled at Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, during the 2019-2020 academic year. A self-administered, closed online questionnaire was administered. Data regarding stress were elicited using Cohen's 10-item Self-Perceived Stress Scale and regarding burnout using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory Student Version questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression model to identify the risk of burnout was conducted, and univariate and multiple linear regression models were carried out to identify the predictors of stress.

Results: Of 1016 eligible students, 732 responded (medical: 511; dental: 221). About half of the students experienced burnout (51.5%), with both high disengagement (49%) and exhaustion (45%). Most participants (90.3%) experienced moderate levels of stress. Eight (1.1%) respondents had experienced stimulant abuse; there was a no significant association between stimulant abuse and burnout in the multivariate analysis. Stress, age, gender, body mass index, GPA, study field, smoking, family income, and birth order were significant predictors of burnout, while burnout, age, gender, GPA, and physical exercise were significant predictors of stress.

Conclusion: The findings in this study highlight the need for policymakers to devise strategies that target early identification as well as reduction of the high levels of burnout and stress.

Keywords: Dental students; Saudi Arabia; medical students; oral substance abuse; professional burnout; psychological; stress.