Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between Emotional Regulation, Academic Stress, and Burnout Among Medical Students in University of Benin, Edo State

Medical students represent a high-risk population for academic burnout, with emotional regulation serving as a potentially modifiable protective factor against stress-related deterioration. This study empirically analysed the relationships among emotional regulation, academic stress, and burnout in medical students at the University of Benin, Edo State, South South Nigeria. A cross-sectional correlational design was used, with 260 clinical and pre-clinical medical students selected through stratified random sampling. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ), and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) were administered. Path analysis and structural equation modelling were used to examine direct and mediating relationships. Findings revealed that academic stress significantly and positively predicted burnout, while emotional regulation significantly and negatively predicted burnout. Emotional regulation functioned as a partial mediator in the stress-burnout pathway, explaining 34 percent of the mediated effect. Pre-clinical students demonstrated higher stress levels, while clinical students exhibited higher burnout scores. The study contributes to filling a significant gap in empirical literature on medical student mental health within Nigerian university settings. Recommendations included the introduction of structured emotional regulation training in the medical curriculum and the deployment of counsellors trained in health psychology within medical faculties to provide targeted psychoeducational support. Keywords: emotional regulation, academic stress, burnout, medical students, University of Benin.