Stress, student burnout and study engagement – a cross-sectional comparison of university students of different academic subjects

BACKGROUND: Stress and burnout among students are health concerns in higher education systems, the prevalence of which exceeds that of the working population. Both are associated with impaired health and increased university drop-out rates. Study engagement, a positive study-related attitude characterized by energy, dedication, and absorption, counteracts stress and burnout. Person-oriented approaches can help to ensure students' health and well-being and help to deduce preventive measures and interventions. Nevertheless, most studies treat students as a homogenous group and do not differentiate between academic subjects. Students apart from medical and nursing sciences have been mostly neglected within this research field. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a sample of n = 947 students from five academic subject fields (Informatics, Mechanical Engineering, Sports and Health Sciences, Medicine, Economic Sciences) at a university in Germany was analyzed using an online survey. Sociodemographic data, perceived stress, study engagement and student burnout were included. RESULTS: A total of 73.2% of the students were moderately to highly stressed, with females displaying higher stress levels than males. Almost one-third of the students reported frequent symptoms of burnout, while 44.5% reported a high degree of study engagement, with no differences according to sex. Stress (male: F [4, 401] = 5.321; p < 0.001; female: F [4, 532] = 9.325; p < 0.001), burnout (F [4, 938] = 7.537-11.827; p < 0.001) and engagement (F [4, 938] = 14.426; p < 0.001) were significantly differentiated by faculty affiliation. Medical students had the lowest stress levels, while informatics students had the highest stress levels. The faculty of informatics also had the highest level of burnout symptoms, while medical students and students in sports and health sciences displayed the most beneficial values. Medical students were most engaged, differing significantly from those of all the other faculties. CONCLUSIONS: Stress and burnout seem to be a problem in all students, especially among students in informatics and engineering. The previous focus on medical students concerning study demands does not seem justified according to our results. Fostering a supportive environment is key for study engagement, health and well-being of students. The inclusion of further individual factors should be a future concern in order to find and promote strategies for a healthy education system.