Prevalence and associated factors of academic burnout among undergraduate health science students in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Burnout remains a global challenge affecting productivity and wellbeing of students of all academic levels. Despite the harmful effects of burnout among health science students, academic burnout is poorly characterized in the Cameroonian context. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with academic burnout among undergraduate health science students of Saint Louis University Institute Douala and Yaoundé Campuses, Cameroon. This was an analytic cross-sectional study carried out at the St. Louis University Institute, Douala and Yaoundé campuses from the 9th of January to the 9th of February 2024. Convenience sampling technique was used to enroll undergraduate health science students. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the sociodemographic characteristics and factors associated with burnout. The Burnout Clinical Subtype Questionnaire (BCSQ-12-SS) was used to determine the prevalence of burnout, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess perceived stress. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the association between the variables and burnout. Among the 570 health science students enrolled in the study, 439 (77%) were females. The most represented age group was between 16 and 25 years, 481 (84.4%). Majority of the study participants, 259 (45.4%) were in level 200, and most, 254 (44.6%) were from the nursing department. The prevalence of burnout was found to be 47% (268/570). Academic workload (p = 0.038), lack of support from friends and teachers (p = 0.046), study and life pressures (p < 0.001), perceived stress (p = 0.041), and school level (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with academic burnout. We report a high prevalence of burnout among undergraduate health science students. Study and life pressures, academic workload, perceived stress, and being a Level one student were found to be significantly associated with burnout. This will help to inform preventive measures by universities to reduce the burnout burden.