Journal of global health
Burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation among Chinese hospital physicians: prevalence and the distinct roles of research and teaching pressure
By Bao X, Zhao Y, Yang T and 2 others.
Abstract
Background
Physician mental health is a global concern, but comprehensive data from China, the home to one of the world's largest medical workforces, remains limited. We assessed the prevalence of burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation among Chinese hospital physicians and examined their comorbidity patterns, instrument concordance, and associated occupational factors.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study from September to November 2025 across four selected regions in China using purposive sampling. A total of 961 physicians completed validated mental health assessments. Burnout was assessed with the Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) as the primary instrument and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) for cross-validation. We measured depression using the four-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression Short Form (T-scores calibrated to the USA reference population), and past-year suicidal ideation with a validated single-item measure. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify independent correlates of each outcome.