Exploring the relationship between burnout and mental health among village doctors: a study from Xun County, Henan Province.

The prevalence of burnout among village doctors in Xun County was 59.8%.

• 460 out of 769 village doctors met criteria for burnout.
• Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS).
• The study used a cross-sectional survey design in Xun County, Henan Province, China.
• Total sample size was 769 village doctors.

The prevalence of probable mental health conditions among village doctors was 23.3%.

• 179 out of 769 village doctors had mental health conditions.
• Mental health was measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).
• This figure represents nearly one in four village doctors screening positive for mental health problems.

Emotional exhaustion (EE) was positively associated with poor mental health among village doctors.

• OR = 1.10, p < 0.001 in binary logistic regression.
• ANCOVA revealed significant group differences in EE between village doctors with and without mental health conditions after controlling for sociodemographic and job-related characteristics.
• EE was one of two burnout dimensions significantly associated with mental health outcomes.

Depersonalization (DP) was positively associated with poor mental health among village doctors.

• OR = 1.17, p < 0.001 in binary logistic regression.
• ANCOVA revealed significant group differences in DP between those with and without mental health conditions after controlling for covariates.
• DP showed a stronger odds ratio than emotional exhaustion in the logistic regression model.

Lack of personal accomplishment (PA) was not significantly associated with mental health conditions.

• ANCOVA revealed no significant group differences in lack of personal accomplishment between village doctors with and without mental health conditions.
• This finding distinguishes PA from the other two burnout dimensions (EE and DP) in relation to mental health.
• PA is one of the three dimensions assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey.

Poor family relationships were positively associated with poor mental health among village doctors.

• OR = 1.73, p = 0.043 in binary logistic regression.
• Significant differences between village doctors with and without mental health conditions were observed in family relationship status.
• Family relationship was identified as a sociodemographic factor influencing mental health.

Higher annual family income was inversely associated with poor mental health.

• Annual family income of 30,000–50,000 yuan vs. <30,000 yuan was associated with OR = 0.62, p = 0.037.
• Significant differences in annual family income were observed between village doctors with and without mental health conditions.
• Income was identified as a protective socioeconomic factor for mental health in this population.

Receiving some income from public health services was inversely associated with poor mental health.

• Annual income from public health services <10,000 yuan vs. 0 yuan was associated with OR = 0.58, p = 0.046.
• Significant differences in annual income from public health services were observed between village doctors with and without mental health conditions.
• Even a modest income from public health services appeared protective compared to receiving none.

Significant differences between village doctors with and without mental health conditions were observed across several lifestyle and sociodemographic variables.

• Variables showing significant differences included family relationship, annual family income, annual income from public health services, physical exercise, and regular diet.
• Chi-square tests were used to examine these group differences.
• Physical exercise and regular diet were among the lifestyle factors differing between mental health groups.