Learning burnout: evaluating the role of social support in medical students under the influence of COVID-19 epidemic
Abstract Background:Learning burnout is a stress-induced syndrome, which could affect medical students.Some environmental and personal factors could give rise to serious consequences, such as depression and suicide. We aimed to evaluate the association between learning burnout and social support among our students under the influence of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey among students who participated in online learning in a medical college in Wuhan. We used the Lian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to assess learning burnout and the SSRS to assess social support.ResultsA total of 684 students completed the survey (response rate 30.9%), of which 315 (46.12%) met standard criteria for learning burnout. We found grade, area of residence, household income, learning time, and number of interactions with teachers or classmates had an effect on students’ learning burnout. These factors except grade were also associated with social support. Besides, we found subjective support and utilization of support had an inverse association with learning burnout. ConclusionsLearning burnout was highly prevalent in our college students. Results suggested that some demographic and learning characteristics were closely associated with learning burnout. The social support especially subjective support and utilization of support played an important role in reducing the risk of learning burnout.