Negative and positive predictive relationships between coping strategies and the three burnout dimensions among Hungarian medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Effective management and prevention of widespread burnout among medical students in Hungary require thorough understanding of its relations to coping strategies, which lacks sufficient data. Aim: To explore the prevalence of burnout and its relations to coping strategies among medical students. Method: Cross-sectional study with 292 participants. Burnout was assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey. Coping strategies were evaluated by the Folkman–Lazarus Ways of Coping Questionnaire and questions about health-maintenance behaviours. Associations between burnout and coping strategies were explored with linear regression analyses. Results: The prevalence of high-level burnout was 25–56%. Both problem-focused coping and support-seeking were protective factors of exhaustion and cynicism, however, they predicted reduced personal accomplishment. Emotion-focused coping predicted exhaustion and cynicism and correlated negatively with reduced personal accomplishment. Health-maintenance behaviours were protective factors for exhaustion and predicted reduced personal accomplishment. Conclusions: Deployment of coping strategies that target the most prevalent burnout dimension may improve effective management of burnout.