Prevalence of burnout among military personnel in the plateau region of China: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectivesThe geographical environment and military activities in the plateau area pose potential work-related stressors for military personnel, leading to burnout which is an external manifestation of internal energy exhaustion caused by stress. Without countermeasures, this can result in serious military problems. This study aims to examine the association between burnout and occupational stressors among military personnel stationed in the plateau area of China.Material and methodsA stratified randomized cluster sampling survey was conducted among 2026 military personnel from 6 different troops stationed in the plateau area of China. The Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey(MBI-GS in Chinese) was administered from March 2022 to December 2023, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.ResultsA total of 2026 military personnel participated in the survey. The mean overall burnout score was 3.37 ± 0.73, with emotional exhaustion at 2.69 ± 0.89, depersonalization at 3.58 ± 0.92, and professional achievement at 3.81 ± 0.85 levels respectively reported by participants on average scale scores ranging from zero to six. Severe level of burnout was reported by 43.2% of participants while medium level of burnout was reported by 54 .3%. Age, education level, length of military service, and household income were identified as important factors influencing burnout.ConclusionThis study highlights a relatively high prevalence of burnout among military personnel stationed in plateau areas necessitating attention towards their occupational health particularly focusing on working hours and economic aspects so as to formulate effective policies and implement intervention measures that strengthen career development for soldiers deployed in such regions.