Perfil de estrés y síndrome de burnout en estudiantes mexicanos de odontología de una universidad pública

Abstract

Introduction: The burnout syndrome is a result of chronic stress that affects people who care for others. Its dimensions are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. The answer to the requirements of the environment depends on the own personal disposition to meet the demands, so, an adaptive stress profile consists of protective reliable resources, positive and significant for health. Method: 60 dental students of a public university with full-time academic load and clinical practice were evaluated. The test of Nowack Stress Profile and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were answered, in order to identify protective variables against this syndrome. Results: We found significant association between emotional exhaustion and stressful situations and low cognitive strength; to experience little psychological well-being with depersonalization; lack of minimizing the threat and low psychological well-being with the lack of personal accomplishment of the burnout syndrome. Levels of burnout in these students are high: 27% with emotional exhaustion, 37% had depersonalization, and the 50% with reduced personal accomplishment. Conclusion: The statistical regression analysis determined that the weak cognitive strength, the stressful situations, the negative valuation and the behavior type A are predictors of burnout syndrome, while having good social support networks and psychological well-being with variables inversely correlated with this suffering. Assessments of the potential of personality in the formative stage of students with timely interventions can prevent misalignments to meet the stress.