Examining the contribution of demands and resources in the development of burnout among post-secondary students training for careers in health care

Abstract

Post-secondary students who are exposed to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and academic demands, and who do not have enough resources to help them cope with and recover from stress can develop symptoms of burnout. Burnout is a serious problem for students because it can increase drop out intentions and can negatively impact their physical and mental health. Students training to work in health care may experience practicum-related burnout or academic burnout, due to their multiple demands. Certain types of resources, however, can moderate the relationship between the demands these students face and the progression of burnout. A gap exists in the literature examining the academic and placement related resources and demands and their relationship to burnout in students training for health care careers. Using the Job Demands and Resources theory, the present study examined which combination of demands and resources predicted academic and placement-related burnout. Through moderation regression analyses we found that compassion satisfaction and university resources moderated the relationship between university demands, secondary traumatic stress, effort and reward imbalance and placement related burnout, rather than academic burnout. This study could help future studies in the development of programs working to provide support to health care students to help reduce their levels of burnout before they enter the workforce. Keywords: health care students, burnout, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, Job Demands and Resources Theory