Saudi Arabian students in postgraduate dental programs: Investigating factors associated with burnout

Background: Burnout related to emotional and physical study or work demands affects an individual's performance and wellbeing. This study focused on Saudi Arabian dental residents studying in the United States and the United Kingdom who are faced with many challenges in the pursuit of a higher education degree. Methods: A survey including demographic and Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI) questions was distributed to assess this population's level of burnout. The MBI has been widely used in the literature to assess three components of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and (diminished) personal accomplishment (PA). Potential predictors of burnout level, tested for statistical significance, included: (1) country (US vs UK), (2) hours of work, (3) sponsorship status, (4) marital status (5) gender, and (6) prior work experience. Results: The number of participants from the UK was 29 and from the US was 64 (n=93). The total number of participants who completed the survey was 87. Using multiple regression analyses, those found to predict EE included hours of work, sponsorship status, and gender. Only gender was found to predict PA. None of the variables were predictive of DEP. Moreover, after controlling for the demographic variables, the country where studying did not help account for the level of burnout. Conclusion: In the literature, burnout was found to be prevalent among dental postgraduate students. This study suggests that Saudi Arabian dental residents experience high burnout due to emotional exhaustion when compared to other medical professionals. Moreover, Female residents are more likely to report experiencing burnout than their male counterparts. Limitations of the study, implications for practice and suggestions for further research are offered in the discussion.