Identifying the risk features for occupational stress in medical workers: a cross-sectional study

Association between occupational stress, occupational burnout, and depressive symptoms among medical staff during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China

BACKGROUND

Studies have extensively examined the factors contributing to the onset of occupational stress, burnout, and depression. However, the relationship between these variables is limited.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the association between occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms and to investigate the mediating effect of burnout between occupational stress and depressive symptoms in medical staff.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical staff in Chongqing, China. The Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS), Maslach Burnout Inventory: General Survey (MBI-GS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to assess the status of occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms, respectively. The bootstrapping analyses using SPSS PROCESS macros version 3 were conducted to examine mediating effects.

RESULTS

The study conducted on medical staff in Chongqing revealed that the detection rates of occupational stress, occupational burnout, and depressive symptoms were 31.8%, 23.3%, and 30.3%, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that occupational stress and burnout accounted for 19.3% (p < 0.001) and 18.8% (p < 0.001) of the variance in depressive symptoms, respectively. Mediation analysis showed that occupational stress indirectly affected depressive symptoms through the mediating effect of occupational burnout, with a mediation effect value of 0.13 (bootstrap 95% CI: 0.116-0.144) and the mediation effect accounting for 44.8% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that occupational stress and burnout were predictors of depressive symptoms. Occupational stress had a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms via burnout. These results suggest that reducing occupational stress and burnout could be effective strategies for preventing depression among medical staff.

The Prevalence and Correlated Factors of Occupational Stress, Cumulative Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Disorders among Information Technology Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chongqing, China

Occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are major concerns in the field of occupational health. Previous studies on occupational health focused on key industries, such as medical care, while there were few related studies on Information Technology (IT) industry. Our study explored the factors influencing occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders in the IT industry. We collected 1363 IT workers' valid questionnaires, of which 73.1% of participants were technicians in Chongqing, 2021. The core occupational stress scale (COSS), self-diagnosis checklist for the assessment of workers' accumulated fatigue and Chinese musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire were used to measure the occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders of the respondents. Logistic regressions were used to explore the correlated factors affecting these indicators. The results showed that the prevalence of occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders was 50.4%, 47%, and 72.3%, respectively. Working in the current position for 3-10 years was a common increased risk for all three indicators. Insomnia was associated with an increased risk of cumulative fatigue (Odds Ratio, OR = 2.156, p < 0.001) and musculoskeletal disorders (OR = 1.878, p < 0.001). Cumulative fatigue was also associated with an increased risk of having WMSDs (OR = 3.207, p < 0.001). According to our findings, occupational factors, such as long working years, overtime work, and personal lifestyle, are highly related to the occurrence of occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders for IT industry workers. More attention should be paid to women and those with long working hours in the IT industry.

The Status of Occupational Stress and Its Influence on the Health of Medical Staff in Lanzhou, China

This study aimed to understand the status quo of occupational stress and its impact on the health of medical staff and provide a theoretical basis for relieving occupational stress and improving the health status of medical staff. The occupational stress and health status of medical staff in 14 hospitals in Lanzhou were studied using a general questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, and Self-Rated Health Measurement Scale. A total of 2169 participants were included in the analysis, and 59.4% of the medical staff experienced occupational stress. The results of the occupational stress survey showed that the prevalence of occupational stress among medical staff aged 40-50, with a master's degree or above, senior professional title, working for 10-20 years, and working more than 48 h per week was higher than in the other groups. The health survey results showed that, compared with other groups, the scores of physical, mental, and social health were lower in medical staff with working years of 10-20 years and working hours of more than 48 h per week. The results show that working years and working hours per week affect not only the level of occupational stress but also physiological, psychological, and social health.