Roots of resilience
Positive childhood experiences, sense of belonging, and burnout among medical students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22073181 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tina Izad (Oakland University), Lauren Walkon (Oakland University), Rachel Lloyd (0000-0001-6688-1048, Oakland University), Michael Nazmifar (0000-0001-5188-4158, Oakland University), Rebecca Bienstock (Oakland University), Changiz Mohiyeddini (Oakland University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1857198 |
| OpenAlex | W7165943959 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Background Burnout affects many medical students, yet the role of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) remains largely unexplored. Sense of belonging protects against burnout, but whether it mediates the link between PCEs and burnout is unknown. Objective To test whether sense of belonging mediates the association between PCEs and burnout in medical students. Method This cross-sectional survey study examined medical students (N = 132) at a U. S. medical school using validated measures of PCEs, sense of belonging, and burnout. Mediation was tested using PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Year of training, age, and gender were covariates. Results All primary bivariate correlations were significant ( p < 0.001). PCEs predicted belonging (B = 1.389, β = 0.353, p < 0.001), and belonging predicted lower burnout controlling for PCEs and covariates (B = −0.490, β = −0.555, p < 0.001). The indirect effect was significant (B = −0.680, β = −0.205, 95% BootCI [−1.124, −0.297]). The direct effect remained significant (B = −0.806, p = 0.001), indicating partial mediation. The model explained 51.1% of burnout variance; belonging accounted for 45.8% of the total PCE − burnout association. Age was significant ( p = 0.026); year of training showed a marginal trend toward higher burnout in more advanced students ( p = 0.065). Conclusion Findings are consistent with a partial mediation model in which belonging explains a substantial portion of the PCE − burnout association. Since belonging is institutionally modifiable, fostering belonging-oriented environments offers an evidence-informed burnout prevention strategy, especially for students with fewer nurturing childhood experiences
Bivariate analysis · Burnout · Mediation · Multivariate analysis · Structural equation modeling · Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies
Positive childhood experiences predict less psychopathology and stress in pregnant women with childhood adversity
Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample
Attachment Theory
Understanding the burnout experience
Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults
Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models
Emotion Regulation
Sense of Belonging Among Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows
Determining Power and Sample Size for Simple and Complex Mediation Models
Factorial and Criterion Validity of Scores of a Measure of Belonging in Youth Development Programs
Required Sample Size to Detect the Mediated Effect
The Relationship between Burnout and Sense of School Belonging among the Resident Physicians in the Standardization Training in China
The need to belong
Burnout and Engagement in University Students
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |