Prevalence and predictors of depression among emergency physicians: a national cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC psychiatry Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 69
• Main Authors: Chen, Yueming, Shen, Xin, Feng, Jing, Lei, Zihui, Zhang, Weixin, Song, Xingyue, Lv, Chuanzhu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 28.01.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Aggression; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic illnesses; Complications and side effects; Coronary artery disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - epidemiology; Depression, Mental; Diagnosis; Education; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Emergency physicians; Epidemiology; Global health; Health aspects; Health care; Health care policy; Heart diseases; Humans; Job stress; Male; Mental depression; Occupational stress; Physicians; Polls & surveys; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workplace violence; China
• ISSN: 1471-244X; 1471-244X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-03687-8

Physicians' depression can damage their physical and mental health and can also lead to prescribing errors and reduced quality of health care. Emergency physicians are a potentially high-risk community, but there have been no large-sample studies on the prevalence and predictors of depression among this population. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 15,243 emergency physicians was conducted in 31 provinces across China between July and September 2019. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of depression. A total of 35.59% of emergency physicians suffered from depression. Emergency physicians who were male (OR=0.91) and older [>37 and ≤43 (OR=0.83) or >43 (OR=0.71)], had high (OR=0.63) or middle (OR=0.70) level income, and participated in physical inactivity (OR=0.85) were not more likely to suffer depression. Meanwhile, those who were unmarried (OR=1.13) and smokers (OR=1.12) had higher education levels [Bachelor's degree (OR=1.57) or Master's degree or higher (OR=1.82)], long work tenure [>6 and ≤11 (OR=1.15) or >11;11 (OR=1.19)], poorer health status [fair (OR=1.67) or poor (OR=3.79)] and sleep quality [fair (OR=2.23) or poor (OR=4.94)], a history of hypertension (OR=1.13) and coronary heart disease (OR=1.57) and experienced shift work (OR=1.91) and violence (OR=4.94)]. Nearly one third of emergency physicians in China suffered from depression. Targeted measures should be taken to reduce the prevalence of depression to avoid a decline in health care quality and adversely impact the supply of emergency medical services.