How stress and burnout impact the quality of life amongst healthcare students: an integrative review of the literature

Background: In the healthcare professions, students are often faced with a demanding training course, characterized by intense study loads, many hours of training, and increasing responsibility. This delicate phase of university and professional life can be a risk factor for the emergence of stress problems, burnout, and all the consequences on students’ physical and mental health. Methods: The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We included quantitative and qualitative studies published on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Articles were retrieved according to pre-established criteria. Study quality was evaluated using the GRADE tool. Results: Fifteen studies were included in the review. Anxiety, depression, and stress are the most common human response conditions among health professions students. Data collection was based mainly on questionnaires assessing stress levels in students. In addition, students’ coping strategies and causes of stress and burnout were analyzed. Conclusion: Students can experience many consequences of stress and professional burnout. The latter has been described in many studies as a predictor of suicidal intentions. Analyzing the included studies, chronic stress has a negative impact on the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and central nervous systems. Future research should promote a healthier and more sustainable academic environment for health professionals.