Prevalence and influencing factors of occupational burnout among healthcare workers in the Chinese mainland during the late 2022 Omicron COVID-19 outbreak: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract China witnessed an Omicron COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2022. During this period, medical crowding and enormous pressure on the healthcare systems occurred, which might result in the occurrence of occupational burnout among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aims to investigate the prevalence of occupational burnout and associated mental conditions, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, perceived social support, resilience, and mindfulness among HCWs of the Chinese mainland during the Omicron COVID-19 outbreak, and to explore the potential risk and protective factors influencing occupational burnout of HCWs. A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in the Chinese mainland from January 5 to February 9, 2023. A total of 6552 participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, occupational burnout, depressive symptoms, anxiety, PTSD, perceived social support, resilience, and mindfulness by online questionnaires. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the participants’ demographic characteristics. Univariate-Multivariate analyses were used to determine the influencing factors of occupational burnout. The results showed that the prevalence of occupational burnout and associated mental disorders, such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, and PTSD in HCWs were 44.56%, and 70.75%, 47.87%, and 37.49%, respectively. Older age, female gender, higher income, more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a higher level of mindfulness, resilience, and perceived social support were protective factors of occupational burnout. Working as nurses, in a department currently taking charge of the treatment of COVID-19 patients, perceived high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to work, perceived high work intensity, and a higher level of anxiety and depressive symptoms were risk factors of occupational burnout. Tailored interventions on perceived social support, resilience, and mindfulness should be implemented to alleviate occupational burnout and associated mental disorders among HCWs.