The effects of personality traits on academic burnout in Korean medical students

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that personality traits play an important role in academic burnout. The aim of this study was to investigate how Cloninger’s temperament and character traits explain academic burnout in a highly competitive environment of medical school. METHODS: A total of 184 Korean medical students participated in the survey. The Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory was measured around the beginning of the semester and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey at the end of the semester. The correlations and stepwise regression analysis were conducted to explain the association between personality traits and academic burnout. In addition, latent profile analysis and profile analysis were employed to distinguish and explain differences of personality traits among latent academic burnout subgroups. RESULTS: The higher harm avoidance of temperament and lower self-directedness and cooperativeness of character predicted the subscales of academic burnout in medical students. The Temperament and Character Inventory personality profile of high, middle, and low latent burnout subgroups were significantly different. CONCLUSION: This study showed that personality might account for the burnout level in medical education. The importance of character dimension for modulating the effects of temperament traits on academic burnout was discussed for future research.