Burnout Syndrome amongst Medical Students in Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Determinants in Preclinical and Clinical Students

BACKGROUND: Due to a series of recognised psychological stressors in the traditional path of medical studies, medical students are prone to experience burnout syndrome. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the predictors of burnout syndrome amongst medical students in Cameroon. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study which recruited 413 medical students consecutively after sampling three of the five medical schools in Cameroon using a random sequence generator. Data were collected via a printed self-administered questionnaire from consenting participants assessing burnout syndrome using the OLdenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Data was analysed using Stata version 12 and p value significance was set at 95%. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify independent determinants of burnout syndrome. RESULTS: An alpha Cronbach coefficient of 0.74 showed that the OLBI assessed the same underlying construct of burnout syndrome in this population. The results of the multiple linear regression showed that five predictors explained 35.0% of the variance (R(2)= 35.0, F(9, 184) = 10.99, p <0.001). It was found that marital status significantly predicted burnout (Beta: 4.82, p value: 0.024), as well as relationship difficulties (Beta: 3.17, p value <0.001), cumulative GPA (Beta: -2.15, p value: 0.006), regretting the choice of medical studies (Beta: 7.85, p value <0.001), and recreational drug use (Beta: 6.99, p value: 0.005). CONCLUSION: Early detection of burnout in medical students in Cameroon could be done by identifying and addressing the potential determinants. The institution of preventive measures against burnout syndrome in medical schools in Cameroon is warranted to decrease the morbidity associated with the condition.