Burnout, entre o cansaço e a resistência: um estudo das representações sociais entre estudantes de medicina
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2026v8n5p882-897Keywords:
Burnout, Social representations, Medical students, Mental healthAbstract
Burnout Syndrome has become an increasing problem among medical students, especially in academic contexts marked by overload and high competitiveness. This study aimed to analyze the social representations of burnout among medical students. Grounded in Social Representations Theory and Central Core Theory, this research adopts a quali-quantitative approach, conducted with a sample of 100 students, using a structured questionnaire, the free evocation technique, and lexical analysis through the EVOC software. The results showed that the elements “fatigue,” “stress,” “exhaustion,” and “burnout” compose the central core of the representation, while anxiety, irritability, lack of support, and emotional fragility emerge as peripheral elements. The representations point to the naturalization of emotional suffering within the academic environment, revealing a process of silent resistance in the face of exhaustion. It is concluded that understanding these representations is essential to support institutional strategies for reception, prevention, and the promotion of mental health among medical students.
Downloads
References
Abric JC. A theoretical and experimental approach to the study of social representations. Papers on Social Representations. 2001;10:1–11.
ABRIC, Jean-Claude. L’organisation interne des représentations sociales: système central et système périphérique. In: GUIMELLI, C. (org.). Structures et transformations des représentations sociales. Neuchâtel: Delachaux et Niestlé, 1994. p. 73-84.
BORGES, Livia de Oliveira; CARLOTTO, Mary Sandra. Síndrome de Burnout e fatores de estresse em professores universitários. Psicologia Escolar e Educacional, São Paulo, v. 8, n. 1, p. 11-18, 2004.
BRASIL. Cartilha: Prevenção e cuidado da Síndrome de Burnout no ambiente de trabalho. Brasília: Universidade de Brasília, 2024. Disponível em: https://pgd.unb.br/images/Cartilha_Preveno_e_Cuidado_da_Sindrome_de_Burnout_no_Ambiente_de_Trabalho_ajustes26112024.pdf. Acesso em: 14 set. 2025.
Camargo BV, Justo AM. IRAMUTEQ: A free software for analysis of textual data. Temas Psicol. 2013;21(2):513–518.
Carlotto MS, Câmara SG. Análise da produção científica sobre burnout em estudantes universitários. Psicol Estud. 2015;20(4):593–603.
CARLOTTO, Mary Sandra; CÂMARA, Sheila Gonçalves. Preditores da síndrome de Burnout em professores. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, Brasília, v. 24, n. 3, p. 269-276, 2008.
Costa EFO, Santos SA, Neto AML, et al. Burnout syndrome and associated factors among medical students: a cross-sectional study. Clinics. 2012;67(6):573–580.
DE SOUSA, Karine Nogueira; DE SOUZA, Priscila Cristiane. Representação social: uma revisão teórica da abordagem. Research, Society and Development, v. 10, n. 6, p. e38610615881, 2021.
Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Medical student distress: causes, consequences, and proposed solutions. Mayo Clin Proc. 2005;80(12):1613–1622.
GIANASI, Luciana Bezerra de Souza; OLIVEIRA, Denize Cristina de. A síndrome de burnout e suas representações entre profissionais de saúde. Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia, Rio de Janeiro, v. 14, n. 3, p. 795-816, dez. 2014. Disponível em: http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1808-42812014000300003.
HAMMARSTRÖM, P. et al. Somatic symptoms in burnout in a general adult population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, v. 168, p. 111217, maio 2023.
Ishak W, Nikravesh R, Lederer S, et al. Burnout in medical students: a systematic review. Clin Teach. 2013;10:242–245.
KILIC, Rana et al. Academic burnout among medical students: respective importance of risk and protective factors. Public Health, v. 198, p. 187-195, 2021.
Maslach C, Leiter MP. Burnout: The Cost of Caring. New York: Malor Books; 2016.
MASLACH, Christina; LEITER, Michael P. Burnout: a multidimensional perspective. In: COOPER, Cary L. (org.). The handbook of stress and health. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2016. p. 351-369.
Mayer FB, Santos IS, Silveira PS, et al. Factors associated with depression and anxiety in medical students. Rev Saúde Pública. 2016;50:1–11.
Montgomery A, Panagopoulou E. The connection between burnout and health care quality: the pivotal role of teamwork. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175:839–840.
MORERA, Jaime Alonso Caravaca; PADILHA, Maria Itayra; SILVA, Denise Guerreiro Vieira da; SAPAG, Jaime. Aspectos teóricos e metodológicos das representações sociais. Texto & Contexto Enfermagem, Florianópolis, v. 24, n. 4, p. 1157-1165, out./dez. 2015. Disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0104-070720150003440014.
Moscovici S. A representação social da psicanálise. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar; 1978.
NTANTANA, A. et al. Burnout and job satisfaction of intensive care personnel and the relationship with personality and religious traits: an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study. BMC Emergency Medicine, v. 24, n. 1, p. 69, 2024. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-024-00984-1.
Pagnin D, de Queiroz V. Burnout and medical students’ mental health. Acad Psychiatry. 2015;39:89–94.
PARKER, G.; RUSSO, N. Current issues in relation to burnout’s definition, measurement, prevalence and management: a narrative review. Psychiatry Research, v. 352, p. 116709, 24 ago. 2025.
PUCRS ONLINE. Síndrome de Burnout: o que é, causas e como prevenir no trabalho. Blog PUCRS Online, 13 set. 2023. Disponível em: https://online.pucrs.br/blog/sindrome-burnout. Acesso em: 14 set. 2025.
ROCHA, Luis Fernando. Teoria das representações sociais: a ruptura de paradigmas das correntes clássicas das teorias psicológicas. Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão, v. 34, n. 1, p. 46-65, 2014.
Rotenstein LS, Torre M, Ramos MA, et al. Prevalence of burnout among physicians: a systematic review. JAMA. 2018;320(11):1131–1150.
Shanafelt TD, Noseworthy JH. Executive leadership and physician well-being. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(1):129–146.
TAYLOR, Charlotte E.; SCOTT, Emma J.; OWEN, Katherine. Physical activity, burnout and quality of life in medical students: a systematic review. The Clinical Teacher, v. 19, n. 6, p. e13525, 2022.
WEST, Colin P.; DYRBYE, Liselotte N.; SHANAFELT, Tait D. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions. Journal of Internal Medicine, v. 283, n. 6, p. 516-529, 2018.
World Health Organization. ICD-11: International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision. 2022.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Beatriz Marques Pereira, Maria Eduarda Vilela Faria, Kamila Noleto Bastos, Yasmin Rezende Costa, Humberto César Machado
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors are copyright holders under a CCBY 4.0 license.
