Association of job burnout with clinical empathy and quality of life among medical students

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.D, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Department of Pediatric Diseases, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Associate professor of psychiatry, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22038/JFMH.2025.84201.3188

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the increasing prevalence of job burnout among medical students and its potential adverse effects on clinical empathy and quality of life, this research aimed to investigate the prevalence of job burnout and its association with clinical empathy and quality of life among medical students.
 
Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional was conducted on 104 medical students of the Pediatrics Department of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in April 2023. The research tools included Jefferson Scale of Empathy (medical students’ version), World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and Pearson’s correlation test.
 
Results: Totally, 104 interns and externs participated in this study, of whom 64.4% had moderate burnout, and 24% had severe burnout. Also, 84.6 and 56.7% moderately suffered from emotional exhaustion and depersonalization problems, respectively, and 75% had moderate levels of personal success. There was an inverse relationship between job burnout and clinical empathy. A substantial difference was found in job burnout between female and male students.
 
Conclusion: The job burnout rate among medical students seems to be high. Considering the inverse association between clinical empathy and job burnout, reducing job burnout could be an effective solution to improve clinical empathy.

Keywords

References

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Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 27, Issue 5
September and October 2025
Pages 305-311

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