Effects of Occupational Radiation Exposure on Job Stress and Job Burnout of Medical Staff in Xinjiang, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Although the potential effects of long-term and low-dose radiation exposure on physical health have attracted considerable attention, few systematic evaluations have been reported regarding the mental health of occupational groups. This study sought to investigate the effects of occupational radiation exposure on job stress and job burnout of medical radiation staff. MATERIAL/METHODS: Using cluster random sampling, a total of 1573 medical radiation workers were initially selected from 10 hospitals in Xinjiang, China, and 1396 valid questionnaires were finally collected. Job stress and job burnout were assessed using the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire and the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI), respectively. RESULTS: The percentages of medical radiation staff experiencing job stress and job burnout were 53.08% and 63.32%, respectively. A statistically significant difference in job stress was observed in association with age, ethnicity, professional title, marital status, radiation work type, radiation working years, family history, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and drinking (P<0.05). A statistically significant difference in job burnout was observed in association with age, sex, ethnicity, professional title, educational level, marital status, job post, radiation work type, radiation working years, family history, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity (P<0.05). Female (odds ratio [OR]=0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58–0.98), senior professional title (OR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.43–0.96), and radiation work types of nuclear medicine (OR=0.15, 95% CI: 0.07–0.33) and radiotherapy (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.36–0.79) were protective factors, and job stress (OR=4.57, 95% CI: 3.55–5.91) was the risk factor for job burnout of medical radiation staff. CONCLUSIONS: Medical radiation staff experience high levels of job stress and job burnout. The interventions of occupational physical examination, personal dose monitoring, occupational health education, and management optimization are recommended to relieve job stress and job burnout and enhance occupational health of medical radiation staff.