Associations between the perceived educational environment and burnout symptoms across multilingual medical programs: the role of academic and social self-perception

BACKGROUND: Burnout among medical students is a widespread problem that threatens academic performance, well-being, and professional identity. The educational environment is crucial for shaping students' psychological resilience regarding burnout. The current study investigates how perceptions of the educational environment and reflective self-perceptions are associated with burnout symptoms among students enrolled in three different language medical programs. METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-report study was conducted among 731 medical students across three language programs at a Hungarian university. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Language program, age, sex and study semester were also included as variables into the model and statistical analyses to check for potential meaningful differences. RESULTS: Significant differences in burnout dimensions were observed across language groups, with international students reporting higher emotional exhaustion and lower academic efficacy. All five DREEM subscales showed moderate correlations with burnout dimensions. Regression analyses identified social self-perception as a consistent negative predictor of exhaustion and cynicism, and academic self-perception as a significant positive predictor of academic efficacy. Reflective self-perception mechanisms were found to function as protective factors across all models. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students' burnout is significantly linked to their perceptions of both academic and social aspects of their competences related to their educational environment. Enhancing self-reflective capacities and fostering a socially supportive learning climate may help reduce burnout risk, particularly among international and female students.