Self-compassion and burnout among medical students in Egypt: indirect effects through perceived stress

Abstract

Studies among medical students in Egypt consistently report high levels of stress, burnout, and significant hesitancy to seek mental health support. This study investigated the protective role of self-compassion, an internal psychological resource, against burnout. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. A total of 649 medical students from a public university in Egypt were recruited via convenience sampling. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS-SF), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23). Bivariate associations were tested with Pearson correlations; multivariable linear regression assessed predictors of burnout. Indirect effects analysis was performed with bias-corrected bootstrapped confidence intervals (10,000 samples) to estimate indirect effects. A total of 649 medical students participated (mean age of 20.6; 58.4% female). Bivariate analyses revealed significant negative correlations between self-compassion and both perceived stress (r = -0.577) and burnout (r = -0.478), and a positive correlation between stress and burnout (r = 0.603; all p-values < .001). The multivarivable regression model explained 39.9% of burnout variance (R2 = .399); perceived stress was the a significant positive predictor (β = 0.488), while self-compassion remained a significant protective factor (β = -0.196). The indirect effects analysis confirmed a significant indirect effect of self-compassion on burnout via perceived stress (B = -0.026, 95% CI [-0.032, -0.021]). As the direct effect also remained significant (B = -0.018), a partial indirect effects model was supported, with the indirect pathway accounting for 59.2% of the total effect. Higher self-compassion is associated with lower burnout largely via an association with reduced perceived stress. Training self-compassion alongside stress-reduction strategies may help safeguard medical student well-being.