ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Relationship between burnout and serum markers in military personnel in plateau and plain areas of China: a cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Burnout, as a significant factor influencing the career development of military personnel, has garnered increasing attention from military decision-makers. Military personnel stationed in plateau areas exhibit unique occupational characteristics due to prolonged exposure to specific environmental conditions. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of burnout and serum markers among military personnel in both plateau and plain regions, thereby elucidating the relationship between burnout and serum markers while considering the impact of environmental factors. This study conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 384 military personnel (Average age 23.14±5.13) from both plateau and plain regions in China between June and December 2024, utilizing random stratified cluster sampling methods. The Maslach Burnout Scale was employed to evaluate burnout among the military personnel, while serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF), neuropeptide Y(NPY), and serotonin(5-HT) were quantified using commercial ELISA kits. One-way analysis of variance and independent sample t-tests were employed to examine the differences in burnout across various variables, while regression analysis was performed to identify the factors influencing burnout. The findings indicate that the overall level of burnout among military personnel is significantly elevated. Notably, the prevalence of burnout in military personnel stationed in plateau areas (100%) surpasses that observed in plain areas (96.6%). There were significant differences in the concentrations of burnout, BDNF, NPY and 5-HT among different environmental groups (t=-7.808~15.655, P<0.01), and correlation analysis revealed that burnout was positively correlated with NPY (r=0.531, P<0.01), while exhibiting a negative correlation with BDNF and 5-HT(r=0.537~0.608, P<0.01). In addition, serum levels of NPY, and 5-HT can predict the level of burnout(P<0.01). In addition, environmental factors, as stressors, can affect the level of burnout through serum serotonin and NPY. This study combines objective serological indicators with subjective questionnaire evaluations to provide a more accurate assessment of burnout. This method can more accurately reflect an individual's level of burnout and provide valuable experience and insights for improving the professional efficiency of military personnel in plateau environments and formulating targeted career development strategies.
Keywords: burnout, BDNF, Serotonin, Neuropeptide Y, Military Personnel
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 LEI, Song, Wang, Xin, Li, Sun, Li, Tian and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
SHI LEI
Ye Tian
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.