JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Burnout is highly prevalent among undergraduate medical students and is associated with adverse outcomes including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation. Spirituality and religiosity are increasingly recognized as potential coping resources that may limit burnout and improve well-being among medical students. However, existing studies vary substantially in how spirituality and burnout are defined and measured.

Objective:

The goal of this scoping review was to synthesize evidence on the relationship between spirituality and burnout-related outcomes, including psychological distress and well-being, among undergraduate medical students.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched. Two independent reviewers screened studies and extracted data, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Extracted data included study characteristics, measurement instruments, and key findings related to spirituality and burnout-related outcomes.

Results:

Thirty-nine studies published from 2007 to 2025 across nineteen countries met inclusion criteria. Most were single site, cross sectional surveys with convenience samples. Sample sizes ranged from about 16 to 1,417. About half used validated spirituality measures (e.g., FACIT-Sp, SWBS, DUREL or Brief COPE); others used single item indicators. Burnout itself was measured less often than stress or mood symptoms. Overall, higher spirituality or intrinsic religiosity was frequently associated with lower burnout stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation, and higher resilience, empathy, life satisfaction, and quality of life. Qualitative work found that spirituality provided meaning, comfort, belonging, and moral grounding during training. A smaller set of studies reported null or mixed findings, often when spirituality was measured with single items or in universities with low religious participation and limited formal support for spiritual practice.

Conclusions:

Across diverse settings, spirituality is commonly used by medical students and is frequently linked with better mental health. Measurement diversity and the dominance of cross-sectional designs limit causal inference. Future work should use clearer constructs, common validated tools, and prospective or interventional designs. These findings may help inform the development of more holistic and inclusive wellness initiatives within medical education that recognize the potential role of spirituality in supporting student mental health and resilience. Clinical Trial: This protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/TQWSK