Occupational burnout and anxiety are key correlates for sleep quality among oilfield workers, with anxiety serving as a significant potential mechanism accounting for 33.08% of the total association between burnout and sleep quality.
More than half of the oilfield workers surveyed experienced occupational burnout.
Occupational burnout was significantly associated with poor sleep quality in the total oilfield worker population.
Sex-stratified analyses showed that the association between occupational burnout and sleep quality was stronger in females than in males.
Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed a nonlinear dose-response relationship between occupational burnout and the odds of poor sleep quality.
Anxiety significantly mediated the association between occupational burnout and sleep quality, accounting for approximately one-third of the total association.
This research suggests that occupational burnout is very common among oilfield workers in China, affecting more than half of the 1,617 workers surveyed, and that it is meaningfully linked to poor sleep quality. Workers with higher levels of burnout were about 61% more likely to experience poor sleep compared to those without burnout. This association was present in both men and women, though it appeared stronger among female workers. The relationship between burnout severity and sleep problems was not simply linear — it followed a more complex pattern, meaning that increases in burnout did not translate to worsening sleep in a straight, predictable way. A key finding was that anxiety appears to play an important role in explaining why burnout leads to worse sleep. Mediation analysis indicated that roughly one-third (33%) of the connection between burnout and poor sleep is explained through anxiety — meaning burnout may contribute to anxiety, which in turn disrupts sleep. This suggests that addressing psychological distress alongside burnout itself could be important for improving sleep outcomes. This research suggests that oilfield workers, who face high-stress environments and irregular work schedules, are at elevated risk for interconnected problems involving burnout, anxiety, and poor sleep. Early identification of burnout and anxiety symptoms, along with targeted workplace interventions, could be important considerations for supporting the mental and physical health of workers in similarly demanding, high-risk occupational settings.
Guo Z, Yu X, Liu H, Li Q, Yang L, Wang X, et al.. (2026). Interconnected associations of occupational burnout, anxiety, and sleep quality in oilfield workers.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1723075