Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective Nursing staff health status is pivotal to healthcare system resilience during global health crises. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate nurses’ mental health profiles, focusing on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms and their associations with...

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Main Authors: Tiancheng Mo, Pengju Wang, Lixin Liu, Yujiao Wang, Rui Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:BMC Nursing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03251-1
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author Tiancheng Mo
Pengju Wang
Lixin Liu
Yujiao Wang
Rui Wang
author_facet Tiancheng Mo
Pengju Wang
Lixin Liu
Yujiao Wang
Rui Wang
author_sort Tiancheng Mo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective Nursing staff health status is pivotal to healthcare system resilience during global health crises. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate nurses’ mental health profiles, focusing on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms and their associations with career development stages, to inform targeted health interventions. Methods A cross-sectional assessment of 107 nurses from a tertiary hospital was conducted using validated scales: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety, and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) for somatization. Demographic variables included gender, age, education level, professional title, marital status, parenthood, and work experience. Multivariate logistic regression, chi-square tests, and Fisher’s exact test were employed to analyze associations between education, age, professional title, and mental health outcomes. Results Most nurses exhibited no significant depression (81.3%) or anxiety (75.7%) symptoms. However, higher education levels (OR = 2.1, p = 0.03) and younger age (OR = 1.9, p = 0.04) were linked to elevated depression and anxiety risks. Somatization symptoms were predominantly mild-to-moderate (68.2%), with professional title significantly correlating with severity (p = 0.01), suggesting career-stage-specific stress impacts physical health. Conclusion Career development stages critically influence nurses’ psychological and somatic health. Tailored mental health interventions and occupational support strategies are essential to mitigate stress disparities across career phases, optimize nursing resources, and enhance healthcare efficacy. Clinical trial number Not applicable.
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spelling doaj-art-e4ed962c55e540bc845104f41c9e54bb2025-08-20T03:10:28ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552025-06-0124111210.1186/s12912-025-03251-1Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional studyTiancheng Mo0Pengju Wang1Lixin Liu2Yujiao Wang3Rui Wang4Department of Mental Health, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Nursing, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityDepartment of Mental Health, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityAbstract Objective Nursing staff health status is pivotal to healthcare system resilience during global health crises. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate nurses’ mental health profiles, focusing on the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms and their associations with career development stages, to inform targeted health interventions. Methods A cross-sectional assessment of 107 nurses from a tertiary hospital was conducted using validated scales: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety, and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) for somatization. Demographic variables included gender, age, education level, professional title, marital status, parenthood, and work experience. Multivariate logistic regression, chi-square tests, and Fisher’s exact test were employed to analyze associations between education, age, professional title, and mental health outcomes. Results Most nurses exhibited no significant depression (81.3%) or anxiety (75.7%) symptoms. However, higher education levels (OR = 2.1, p = 0.03) and younger age (OR = 1.9, p = 0.04) were linked to elevated depression and anxiety risks. Somatization symptoms were predominantly mild-to-moderate (68.2%), with professional title significantly correlating with severity (p = 0.01), suggesting career-stage-specific stress impacts physical health. Conclusion Career development stages critically influence nurses’ psychological and somatic health. Tailored mental health interventions and occupational support strategies are essential to mitigate stress disparities across career phases, optimize nursing resources, and enhance healthcare efficacy. Clinical trial number Not applicable.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03251-1Mental healthNursing staffCareer development stagesSomatization symptomsAnxietyDepression
spellingShingle Tiancheng Mo
Pengju Wang
Lixin Liu
Yujiao Wang
Rui Wang
Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
BMC Nursing
Mental health
Nursing staff
Career development stages
Somatization symptoms
Anxiety
Depression
title Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
title_full Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
title_short Career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in China: a cross-sectional study
title_sort career stage variations in mental and somatic health symptoms among nursing professionals in china a cross sectional study
topic Mental health
Nursing staff
Career development stages
Somatization symptoms
Anxiety
Depression
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03251-1
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AT lixinliu careerstagevariationsinmentalandsomatichealthsymptomsamongnursingprofessionalsinchinaacrosssectionalstudy
AT yujiaowang careerstagevariationsinmentalandsomatichealthsymptomsamongnursingprofessionalsinchinaacrosssectionalstudy
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