Abstract:

Objective To investigate the impact of the National Day holiday on the occupational health of workers in a chemical industry，and to analyze the associations between lifestyle factors and occupational stress and burnout. Methods A pre-post comparative survey was conducted among 38 on-duty workers. The first survey was carried out on the afternoon of September 30，2024， and the second on the morning of October 8，2024. Questionnaires were used to assess occupational stress and burnout before and after the holiday. Information on smoking，sleep，and other lifestyle factors was collected. Paired t-tests and multiple linear regression were applied for analysis，and gender-stratified comparisons were performed. Results The total score of occupational stress before and after the holiday was not statistically significant（P>0.05），with all workers classified as having mild stress. Occupational burnout scores increased significantly after the holiday（P<0.05），especially in the "reduced personal accomplishment" dimension from （2.59±1.50）points to （3.36±1.45）points（P<0.05）. In terms of occupational burnout levels，76.32% were mild to moderate before the holiday，which increased to 92.11% after the holiday. Among them，2 people developed severe burnout（5.26%），and the difference was not statistically significant（P>0.05）. Regression analysis showed that workers with 0-<5 years of service had significantly higher occupational stress than those with ≥20 years（β=0.308，P<0.05）. Those with a college degree or above had lower burnout scores compared to those with junior high school education or below（β=-2.287，P<0.05）. Former smokers had lower burnout scores than non-smokers（β=-2.281，P<0.05），while current smokers had higher burnout scores（β=0.859，P<0.05）. Frequent nighttime awakenings was positively associated with burnout（β=0.728，P<0.05）. Gender-specific analysis showed that only male workers experienced a significant increase in burnout（β=0.208，P<0.05）. Conclusion The holiday may not effectively alleviate deep psychological burdens，especially among male workers. Future research should further explore the long-term effects of holidays and ways to improve the work environment to promote workers' mental health.

Key words: Occupational burnout, Occupational stress, Holidays, Mental health, Worker, Chemical industry