Gender differences of the association between work-related stressors and mental health among Chinese medical professionals
A nationwide cross-sectional study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22087487 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lin Chen (0000-0001-5135-3998, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, corresponding author), Lihong Wu (0000-0002-1903-6981, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital), Jingjing Xia (0000-0002-5532-653X, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital), Xixuan Cai (Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital), Liying Chen (0000-0002-0733-0139, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Pages | 1561588-1561588 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1561588 |
| PMID | 40265062 |
| OpenAlex | W4409276252 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 55 |
Background: Chinese medical professionals are under tremendous work pressure, which greatly undermines their mental health, hinders professional performance and impairs the quality of healthcare. However, the specific work-related stressor that affects mental health most and whether gender difference plays a role are not yet known. This study aims to investigate the association between work-related stressors and mental health among medical professionals in China. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from September 29, 2022 to January 18, 2023 by recruiting 2,976 medical professionals from three representative provinces in China through purposive sampling. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured by the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale. Logistic regression models were performed to identify work-related stressor significantly associated with mental health and stratified by gender. Results: The prevalence of major depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese medical professionals was 28.2% (839/2976) and 24.0% (714/2976), respectively. Among the subjects, 43.7% (1,302/2976) of subjects reported having ≥3 work-related stressors, which was positively related to both major depressive and anxiety symptoms. The following work-related stressors were positively associated with major depressive symptoms: violence against medical staff and promotion pressure among males; medical dispute among females. The following work-related stressors were positively associated with major anxiety symptoms: medical dispute and promotion pressure among males. While no work-related stressor showed significant association with major anxiety symptoms among females. Conclusion: These findings identified the specific work-related stressors related with the mental health, and gender differences are indicated in this relationship. Interventions directing at improving doctor-patient relationship may help to improve mental health of Chinese medical professionals. Reforming promotion system may mitigate the anxiety symptoms of male medical professionals
Cross-sectional study · Environmental health · Mental health · Psychiatry · Stressor · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Psychology · Workplace Health and Well-being
Psychological impacts and coping strategies of front-line medical staff during Covid-19 outbreak in Hunan, China
Feminism in Transition
Syndemics and the biosocial conception of health
Prevalence of mental health problems during the Covid-19 pandemic
Sex differences in anxiety and depression clinical perspectives
Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in the general population
Prevalence of and Risk Factors Associated With Mental Health Symptoms Among the General Population in China During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Work Stress and Employee Health
Accuracy of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for screening to detect major depression
Rates of medication errors among depressed and burnt out residents
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The PHQ-9
Prevalence of depression and its correlation with anxiety, headache and sleep disorders among medical staff in the Hainan Province of China
Anxiety in Residents in China
Synergistic Interaction between Job Stressors and Psychological Distress during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Associations between accumulating job stressors, workplace social capital, and psychological distress on work-unit level
The mediating role of psychological capital on the association between occupational stress and depressive symptoms among Chinese physicians
Gender Roles and Coping with Work Stress
Working Hours Mismatch, Macroeconomic Changes, and Mental Well-being in Europe
Psychosocial challenges facing physicians of today
Gendered depression
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |