Impact of extracurricular activities on self-actualization in medical students: a systematic review
Abstract
Today, the world needs medical professionals trained in complex skills. However, the curricula in most universities focus more on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge. Evidence shows that participation in extracurricular activities (EA) allows the development of numerous skills. From Maslow's perspective, getting involved in EA would contribute to self-actualization, the highest step in the pyramid of human needs. On the other hand, negative impacts of participation in EA have been documented, such as the presence of burnout. Little is known about the real impact of EA during undergraduate studies in medical education in medical education, despite the fact that they are one of the determining factors for opting for future professional alternatives worldwide. As medical students, we believe it is important to determine from the current evidence the impact of EA on self-actualization in this group. A systematic search was carried out in 4 databases: SCOPUS, ERIC, WOS, and PubMed, with 4 concepts: "Extracurricular activities", "Higher education", "Medical Students", and "Self Actualization" publications between the years 2018 and 2023 were considered in Spanish, English, and German; of which 5807 results (526 duplicates) were obtained. Using the PRISMA protocol and the COVIDENCE platform, three authors reviewed the results and selected those aligned with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Those studies that led to conflict were reviewed by a fourth author. Finally, 26 articles were obtained, which were reviewed and synthesized by the authors. Within the findings, few investigations addressed the search topic. The studies have methodologies that favor the existence of favorable biases towards EA, by using small samples or selected populations. In general, EA prove to be a relevant factor in developing and achieving self-actualization.
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