Objective: To survey the prevalence of burnout in a national sample of endocrinologists in China and to examine its correlates, with a special focus on gender differences.Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted among endocrinologists in 31 provincial government-owned “People’s Hospitals” of each province in mainland China. Demographic and work-related factors were collected from participants. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) was used to assess burnout, including emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and reduced personal accomplishment (PA).Results: A total of 711 endocrinologists (72.1% were female and mean age was 39.63 ± 8.51 years old) completed the survey. Burnout was reported by 32.8% of the participants. There were no significant gender differences in the overall prevalence of burnout or EE, DP, and PA (all p > 0.05). A multi-level linear regression revealed: (1) In male participants, PA was significantly associated with age (β = 0.03, p = 0.003), DP was inversely associated with age (β = −0.06, p = 0.005), EE was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (β = −0.25, p = 0.006), and longer work hours (β = 0.01, p = 0.016). (2) In females, PA was significantly associated with age (β = 0.01, p = 0.038), EE and DP were both significantly associated with shorter sleep duration (β = −0.19, p = 0.001; and β = −0.15, p = 0.011, respectively). EE and DP were also associated with work hours (β = 0.02, p < 0.001; and β = 0.01, p < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion: Nearly one-third of endocrinologists in China experienced burnout. Although there were no significant gender differences in the prevalence of overall burnout or EE, DP, and PA scores, male and female participants differed in factors associated with EE, DP, and PA. Interventions need to be tailored to target different aspects in male and female endocrinologists and target different subgroups.

Background: Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms have been found to be associated with overweight or obesity, but the gender differences in the associations have not been well-examined. Based on a national sample of endocrinologists in China, we examined such associations with a focus on gender differences. Methods: Data were collected from endocrinologists in China using an online questionnaire, which included demographic data, body weight, and height. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Results: In total, 679 endocrinologists (174 males and 505 females) completed the survey. One-fourth (25.6%) were classified as overweight, with a significant gender difference (48.9% in males vs. 17.6% in females, p < 0.05). Overall, 43.4% of the participants endorsed probable depressive symptoms (54.6% in males and 39.6% in females, p = 0.004), 47.6% for anxiety (51.7% in males vs. 46.1% in females, p = 0.203), and 29.6% for stress symptoms (34.5% in males vs. 27.92% in females, p = 0.102). After controlling for confounders, in the whole group, male gender (aOR = 4.07, 95% CI:2.70–6.14, p < 0.001), depression (aOR = 1.05, 95% CI:1.00-1.10, p = 0.034) and age (aOR = 1.03, 95% CI:1.00-1.05, p = 0.018) were positively associated with overweight. In males, depression (aOR = 1.14, 95% CI:1.05–1.25, p = 0.002), administration position (aOR = 4.36, 95% CI:1.69–11.24, p = 0.002), and night shifts/month (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI:1.06–1.49, p = 0.008) were positively associated with overweight, while anxiety (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI:0.82–0.98, p = 0.020) was negatively associated with overweight. In females, only age (aOR = 1.04, 95% CI:1.01–1.07, p = 0.014) was significantly associated with overweight status, while depression and anxiety were not associated with overweight. Stress symptoms were not associated with overweight in either gender. Conclusions: One-fourth of endocrinologists in China are overweight, with a rate in males nearly triple the one in females. Depression and anxiety are significantly associated with overweight in males but not females. This suggests possible differences in the mechanism. Our findings also highlight the need to screen depression and overweight in male physicians and the importance of developing gender-specific interventions.

Measuring family members’ satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric care may help improve the quality of healthcare in psychiatric hospitals. This survey aimed to investigate the satisfaction of family members with inpatient psychiatric care and to explore its associated factors, using a newly-developed 5-item questionnaire. This study included 1598 family members of psychiatric inpatients in 32 tertiary public psychiatric hospitals in 29 provinces of China. Satisfaction and demographic data were collected by research staff while patient and hospital data were retrieved separately. We found that the overall satisfaction level was 93.84% (23.46/25). The total satisfaction score in Northeast China was the highest, followed by the East, Middle and West regions (p < 0.001). There was no significant sex difference in total family satisfaction scores. Family members with a lower educational background (elementary school or less) had significantly lower satisfaction. Family members of patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia were significantly less satisfied with doctor-family communication. In different treatment response subgroups, the marked improvement subgroup had significantly higher total satisfaction scores and subscores. Meanwhile, lower self-payment expenses and a higher number of psychologic treatments offered per day were significantly associated with higher total satisfaction scores and all subscores. Logistic regression showed a higher educational background, more psychologic treatments offered per day, adequacy of professional staffing (higher doctor/bed, nurse/bed and psychologist/bed ratio) were all significantly associated with higher family satisfaction. We suggest government and hospital managers recruit more mental health professions to improve family satisfaction. If feasible, providing more psychologic treatments to inpatients may also improve families’ satisfaction and involvement.