Burnout Syndrome and Associated Substance use amongst Undergraduates of a Tertiary Institution in Northern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Studies show that academic burnout among undergraduates is highly prevalent and is a major aspect of students' mental health. Studies have also shown high prevalence of substance abuse among undergraduates however, few studies have explored the relationship between burnout and substance use among undergraduate students. An analysis of this will give more insight into this relationship and possible clearer perspective on intervention measures. The study was carried out among 933 undergraduates of BUK in the faculty of Education, Law and Medicine, using a descriptive cross sectional design. Study instruments consisted of a socio-demographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory-students' survey (MBI-SS), Cage Drugs Questionnaire. Results revealed a high prevalence of burnout: 16.4%, 24.7% and 20.8% for Emotional Exhaustion, Cynicism and reduced Academic Efficacy respectively. Medicine students had higher burnout for Emotional Exhaustion, though not statistically significant (p=0.521). Education students had the highest burnout on the Cynicism subscale (35.6%), followed by Medicine (20.4%), (p<0.001). On the Academic Efficacy Subscale students from Medicine reported the highest burnout (30.4%) and law being the least (5.1%), p<0.001. Burnout increased among non-drug users compared to drug users. Burnout is highly prevalent among undergraduates. Overall law students were the least burnout. Non-drug users had more burnout compared to drug users. The need for the establishment of School Mental Health Programs for early detection and management of burnout, drug use and maladaptive coping behaviours among undergraduates is emphasized and encouraged.