TY  - JOUR
AU  - Faghihzadeh, Elham
AU  - Eghtesad, Ali
AU  - Fawad, Muhammad
AU  - Xu, Xiaolin
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/5/15
TI  - Exploring Connections Between Mental Health, Burnout, and Academic Factors Among Medical Students at an Iranian University: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e58008
VL  - 11
KW  - emotional exhaustion
KW  - exhaustion
KW  - cynicism
KW  - academic efficacy
KW  - burnout
KW  - physician burnout
KW  - mental health
KW  - mental illness
KW  - mental disease
KW  - mental disorder
KW  - medical education
KW  - medical knowledge
KW  - medical training
KW  - medical student
KW  - resident physician
KW  - resident doctor
KW  - residency
KW  - residency training
AB  - Background: Medical students face high levels of burnout and mental health issues during training. Understanding associated factors can inform supportive interventions. Objective: This study aimed to examine burnout, psychological well-being, and related demographics among Iranian medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 131 medical students at an Iranian University. The instruments used included the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Descriptive statistics, multivariate regression, and tests for group differences were used to analyze the data. Results: The MBI-SS subscale scores indicated moderate emotional exhaustion, mean 15.00 (SD 7.08) and academic efficacy, mean 14.98 (SD 6.29), with lower cynicism, mean 10.85 (SD 5.89). The most commonly reported mental health issues were depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Poor psychological well-being was associated with higher overall burnout, but no significant gender differences were found. Burnout levels varied by academic year across all Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey domains. Conclusions: Despite their health education, medical students in this study reported significant burnout and mental health distress, with strong associations between the two. These issues may impact student retention and post-graduation practice plans. Supporting well-being during training is critical for positive student and physician outcomes. 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2025/1/e58008
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/58008
DO  - 10.2196/58008
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/58008
ER  -