Evaluating the Relationship Between Cognitive Distortions, Resilience, Well-Being, and Burnout in Medical Students

Date of Submission

2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Stephanie Felgoise, PhD, ABPP

First Advisor

Robert DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP

Second Advisor

Barbara Golden, PsyD, ABPP

Third Advisor

Michael Becker, DO, MS, FACOFP

Comments

Burnout is a significant problem within the medical field. Burnout rates have been demonstrated to rise within the progression of one’s training, with approximately 50% of U.S. medical students who reported experiencing symptoms of burnout (Dyrbye et al., 2008; IsHak et al., 2013; Rotenstein et al., 2016) and estimates of 41% to 90% of residents experiencing burnout (Block et al., 2013). Although burnout has been examined in physicians, little research has looked at medical students. This study examined the levels of burnout in medical students across year of study in medical school and sought to explore the potential predictive relationship of level of resilience, level of cognitive distortions, and level of overall wellness on level of burnout across the subscales of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. Results demonstrated that students who reported more frequent engagement in distorted thinking felt more emotionally exhausted, more cynical, and less effective in their work. The lower their levels of overall well-being, the more emotionally exhausted and cynical they felt and the more distorted thinking they reported. Contrary to expectations, resilience did not appear to be an important factor in predicting burnout. The results found that medical students in their second and third years of medical school experience higher levels of burnout than their counterparts. The results highlight the opportunity for early education and interventions for these students, specifically with regard to promoting overall well-being practices and healthy thinking strategies.

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