| Background and purpose of the studyJob burnout is a state of exhaustion caused by the stress felt in the workplace over a long period of time,which can constitute an occupational mental health problem.How the burnout status of bus drivers changed before and after the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak is a scientific issue of concern that requires further research and analysis.The aim of this study is to analyze the current situation and influencing factors of burnout among bus drivers before and after the COVID-19 epidemic,and to explore the trends of burnout symptoms among bus drivers before and after four years.Study 1:A research study on bus driver burnoutIn this study,questionnaires were administered to bus drivers in Guangdong Province at four time points from August to October 2019(T1),October to December 2020(T2),October to December 2021(T3)and September to November 2022(T4),and a total of 14,415 drivers were included in the study.Self-administered general status questionnaires,Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey(MBI-GS),Family Assessment Device-General Functioning Scale(GF),Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-9),Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale(GAD-7),Insomnia Severity Index(ISI)and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire were used.Network analysis was used to analyze the current state of driver burnout:the structure of burnout was characterized using ’strength’ and ’bridge strength’as central indicators in the symptom network,and network comparisons were tested by the Network Comparison Test.Potential categories of burnout trajectories were estimated using a growth mixture model(GMM),and trajectories were predicted using a multinomial logistic regression model.Study 2:A qualitative study of bus driver burnoutThis study conducted a face-to-face interview on driver burnout through a self-administered interview outline on 17 May 2023,with nine drivers participating in this interview.Content analysis was used to analyze the data.Results1.The results of the network analysis showed that the nodes "not enthusiastic about work"(C7)and "tired of facing work in the morning"(E3)were the central symptoms of the driver burnout network model.In addition,the bridge symptoms in this sample were the nodes "Work makes me break"(E5)and "Getting disinterested"(C6).2.The results of the network comparability test showed statistically significant differences between the burnout networks of T1 and T4.3.Burnout decreased over four years[slop=-0.09,95%CI=(-0.09,-0.09),P<0.00].4.GMM analysis identified five trajectory groups:(1)moderate-slow decrease(N=2494,17.30%),(2)low-stable,(N=7273,50.45%),(3)high-fast decrease(N=182,1.26%),(4)moderate-increase(N=1587,11.01%)and(5)moderate-stable(N=2879.19.97%).5.The results of the multinomial logistic regression showed that age,exercise,family functioning,depression,anxiety,insomnia and aggression were significant predictors of driver burnout.6.The results of the qualitative study show that the risk factors for burnout among drivers are:the distress of misjudgement by machine automation,the distress of unexpected situations in traffic,the stress caused by reduced income,the distress of bearing the stress of driving alone and the lack of understanding and respect from passengers;the protective factors for burnout are:the company of family members,the friendliness and understanding of passengers,the adaptation to demands and the maintenance of a normal mind and the humanistic care of the company.ConclusionsThe central symptoms of burnout(feeling tired at work,unenthusiastic about work)and the key bridge symptoms(work makes breakdown and growing disinterest in work)may be potential targets for interventions for drivers with burnout.The findings of this study suggest that job burnout in bus drivers tends to decline overall before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic,suggesting that different occupational groups show different patterns of burnout during the particular period of the epidemic outbreak. |
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