High fatigue and its associations with health and work related factors among female medical personnel at 54 hospitals in Zhuhai, China

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of fatigue and determine factors associated with fatigue in female medical personnel. Based on a cross-sectional study, a total of 1608 female medical personnel at 54 hospitals in Zhuhai, China were recruited by a multistage stratified cluster sampling method. The Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised and Chalder Fatigue Scale were used to assess psychiatric symptoms and fatigue, respectively. Data regarding demographic, health, and work related variables were also collected. Multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to determine the influencing factors of fatigue. Approximately 83% of participants had experienced fatigue in the past week. The risk of fatigue was higher in aged 30–39 years old than older or younger participants; Longer sleeping time predicted a lower prevalence of fatigue (OR = .35), while tense physician-patient relationship predicted a higher prevalence of fatigue (OR = 1.77). Depression (OR = 1.76) and anxiety (OR = 1.96) were found related to fatigue. Additionally, fatigue was associated with marital status, occupation, health related factors (exercise, regular diet, and health status), and work related factors (hospital rank and turnover intention). These study findings might facilitate development and implementation of targeted interventions and preventive measures.

Keywords:

• Fatigue
• prevalence
• SCL-90-R
• influencing factor

Abbreviations:

• SCL-90-R: Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised
• CFS: Chalder Fatigue Scale
• PF: Physical fatigue
• MF: Mental fatigue
• OR: Odds ratios
• CI: Confidence intervals

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants for their contribution to this research, especially those who helped to obtain the questionnaires. We are also grateful to all healthcare workers who participated in this study.