Occupational stress and psychosomatic complaints among health professionals in Beijing, China

To investigate the prevalence, distribution and correlates of occupationally-related psychosomatic complaints among a previously understudied workforce.

A selection of 336 public health professionals working in Beijing, China.

A self-reporting questionnaire survey was used (99% response rate).

The incidence of ocular discomfort was relatively high for health professionals aged below 60 years, headache or dizziness was mostly reported by the older age groups, insomnia or sleep disorders were common among those aged 30-39 years, while self-reported depression or emotional instability were concentrated in younger staff. Regression analyses revealed that age, personal life habits, family status, work conditions and occupational environment were related to eye discomfort, headache, dizziness, insomnia, sleep disturbance, depression or emotional instability. Moreover, undertaking a busy work schedule of long duration and work-induced stress were major correlates for illness and other subjective symptoms. On the other hand, having a friendly working atmosphere and a high interest in one's work were negatively correlated with psychosomatic symptoms.

Overall, our study suggests high-intensity work and various other occupational factors may be strongly related to psychosomatic symptoms among health professionals in China.