Prevalence of burnout among chiropractic students in Malaysia.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of burnout among chiropractic students in Malaysia, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey for Students (MBI-GS[S]).

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted at IMU University with 219 chiropractic students from semester 1 through semester 8. The MBI-GS(S) was utilized to assess burnout across 3 subscales: Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Professional Efficacy. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and χ2 tests. Standardized residual analysis was performed as a posthoc step to identify which specific year(s) contributed to any significant χ2 results.

Results: Of the 219 participants, 2.28% were classified as having a burnout profile under the 2016 method, while 10.04% met the burnout profile under the 2018 method. A χ2 test revealed no association between year of study and burnout using the 2016 method. In contrast, the 2018 method indicated a significant association (p = .004), driven primarily by a higher-than-expected frequency of burnout in Year 1 and a lower-than-expected frequency in Year 2.

Conclusion: Burnout is present among chiropractic students in Malaysia, with estimates differing by classification method. The 2018 method not only yielded a higher overall prevalence but also highlighted an association with year of study. These findings underscore the importance of choosing appropriate classification criteria and emphasize targeted interventions for students most at risk, particularly in their first year.