Perfeccionismo, Burnout e as Atividades Extracurriculares nos Estudantes de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra

Abstract

Introduction: The participation in extracurricular activities reduces the attributed importance to some causes of perfectionism, which influences the prevalence of burnout in medical students. This study aimed to investigate how this relationship occurs and which factors it is dependent on, in order to create strategies directed at these potential targets.Material and Methods: We developed a questionnaire that assesses the participation in extracurricular activities, including a survey regarding the reasons for perfectionism and part of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory adapted for students. The questionnaire’s application to medical students of the Masters Degree in Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra was followed by statistical analysis.Results: In a sample of 360 students, 40% ranked highly in personal burnout, and 28.1% in study-related burnout, while 22.2% showed high levels of burnout in both components. Students who participated in extracurricular activities were less frequently associated with simultaneous personal-related and study-related high levels of burnout (p = 0.013). The kind of chosen extracurricular activity was notassociated with the prevalence of burnout.Discussion: Only 53.9% of students participate in extracurricular activities. Such participation is associated with a lower prevalence of burnout if it is practiced several times per week. The choice of one kind of activity over another does not seem to influence the prevalence of this syndrome, all of which are associated with benefits in different domains.Conclusion: We observed a lower prevalence of burnout among students that engaged in extracurricular activities. Further studiesthat can infer causality in this relationship are needed, in order to establish effective solutions specific to the medical course context.

Compassion and extracurricular activities of Portuguese Health Sciences students in Portugal

“…Most students participated in E.A. (76.7%), in a higher proportion than previously reported [9,12] with a preference for the "Individual Physical/Sports" activity with 49.4%, a lower value than previously reported [11,12]. "Volunteering and Social Services" was reported by (18.7%), obtained a value higher than that already observed for medical students [11], but lower than that already observed in Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences [12,13].…”

“…Studies report that students participation in E.A. can improve teamwork skills, networking, better time management, helping others and contact with people of different perspectives, acquiring new knowledge, and expanding the individual curriculum [9,12,13]. Reports also exist stating that improvement of stress management capacity was indicated as an effective coping mechanism in stress management [11], physical activities being related to low levels of stress [10], and Volunteering and Social Services promoting solidarity, social responsibility, and a sense of community [10].…”

Physical Activity Levels of Medical Students: a global issue to be addressed

“…It is suggested that this dominance is due to the ease of quantitative measurement of PA in terms of time and intensity and the positive effects of PA on health (31). A study involving 360 medical students determined that 53.9 % of the students participated in extracurricular activities, and participation in extracurricular activities was associated with a low prevalence of burnout, regardless of the chosen activity (32). BDI and BAI scores of our participants were lower in those who had a long-term active hobby (49.4 %) and participation in at least one sports activity (46.6%), but without statistical significance in the BDI scores of those who participated in at least one sports activity.…”

Metanálise das prevalências da Síndrome de Burnout em discentes de escolas medicas brasileiras

“…Entretanto, outras pesquisas sugerem prevalências maiores, em Portugal (22.2%) (Dinis et al, 2020), Hong Kong (27.9%) (Lee et al, 2020), Estados Unidos (34.1%) (Cooket al, 2014) e Malásia (36.8%) (Daud et al, 2020). Estudos do Paraguai e do Equador, respectivamente, observaram prevalências de 9% (González-Escobar et al, 2020) e 88% (Pire et al, 2020).…”