798 - ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY PREDICTS BURNOUT IN HEALTHCARE STUDENTS AND THE ROLE OF COPING STRATEGIES

Session: D08S0037 - Stress, Anxiety & Adaptation 1
AUTHORS:
Boyle Eimear (School of Applied Psychology ~ Cork ~ Ireland) , Connery Tadgh (School of Applied Psychology ~ Cork ~ Ireland) , O'Reilly Anna (School of Applied Psychology ~ Cork ~ Ireland) , Setti Annalisa (School of Applied Psychology ~ Cork ~ Ireland)
Abstract text:
Background: Healthcare students (HCS) experience high rates of burnout, negatively impacting their well-being. Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), a trait that reflects differential susceptibility to positive and negative environments, has been associated with negative psychological outcomes in healthcare professionals and university students and well as poorer wellbeing in the general population and higher disposition to mental health issues. However, SPS has not been explored in HCS.
Purpose: This study examined the association between SPS and burnout among HCS and tested whether time in nature, social support, and meaning-centred coping moderated this relationship, with the goal of informing interventions for high-SPS HCS. The study adopted a survey design and two open questions for context.
Methods: 345 participants completed an online survey that included measures of SPS, burnout, meaning-centred coping, social support, and time in nature and two open-ended questions regarding their coping strategies for stress. Quantitative data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: SPS and neuroticism predicted burnout, while higher mean centred coping predicted lower burnout. Time in nature did not predict lower burnout. Neither social support nor meaning-centred coping moderated the association between SPS and burnout. The thematic analysis generated four themes: Navigating Stress through Action; Maintaining Well-Being and Balance; Finding Strength in Connections; and Barriers to Effective Coping and elucidated barriers and enablers to coping depending on the level of sensitivity.
Conclusion: SPS is associated with burnout in HCS, highlighting the importance of recognising SPS as a contributing factor to burnout. While social support, meaning-centred coping, and time in nature did not moderate the association between SPS and burnout, the qualitative data demonstrated that HCS employ diverse coping strategies, such as exercise, planning, and cognitive reframing, which future research should examine in relation to students' burnout and sensitivity levels.