Exploring the Limits of Religious Coping: A Phenomenological Study of Medical Students in an Islamic-Based Medical School

Abstract

Burnout is common among medical students. Although religious coping is widely incorporated into Islamic-based medical education as a strategy to reduce stress, evidence from a prior phase of this research indicates that it does not significantly improve burnout among medical students. Guided by these findings, this study aimed to explore medical students’ perceptions of the factors underlying the perceived lack of effectiveness of religious coping within an Islamic-based medical faculty. Using a phenomenological qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 purposively selected medical students, balanced by gender and prior burnout levels. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed using NVivo 12 Plus in accordance with COREQ guidelines. Five themes emerged: (a) strong prior religious backgrounds creating perceived ceiling effects; (b) religious learning perceived as lacking depth and relevance to professional identity formation; (c) religious activities experienced primarily as academic requirements; (d) academic workload dominating contributors to burnout; and (e) religious coping perceived as habitual rather than transformative. These findings suggest that religious coping among medical students is a context-dependent, meaning-driven process shaped by prior religious experiences, curriculum design, and individual engagement, which may limit its effectiveness in mitigating burnout in Islamic-based medical education.