Burnout among Chinese live streamers: Prevalence and correlates

PLoS One. 2024 May 21;19(5):e0301984. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301984. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of burnout among live streamers remains largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with burnout among Chinese live streamers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 343 full-time live streamers from 3 companies in Changsha city. Socio-demographic and occupational characteristics were collected using self-designed items. Job stress was assessed using the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ-22), while supervisor and coworker support were evaluated using the last 8 items of the JCQ-22. Burnout was assessed using the 17-item Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS).

Results: Our findings revealed that 30.6% of live streamers experienced burnout. Lower levels of education (OR = 2.65 and 3.37, p = 0,005 and 0.003), higher monthly income (OR = 10.56 and 11.25, both p = 0.003), being an entertainment-oriented streamer (OR = 2.13, p = 0.028), continuous walking during live streams (OR = 2.81, p = 0.006), significant drop in follower count (OR = 2.65, P = 0.006), live streaming during the daytime (OR = 3.75, p = 0.001), and higher support from supervisors and coworkers (OR = 3.66, p = 0.001) were positively associated with burnout. However, the effects of education and drop in followers on burnout were not significant in the multivariate logistic models (p = 0.321 and 0.988).

Conclusions: Burnout among Chinese live streamers is associated with income, being an entertainment streamer, engaging in continuous walking during live streams, conducting live streams during the daytime, and experiencing excessive support from supervisors and coworkers.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
  • Burnout, Professional* / psychology
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Hunan Normal University undergraduates innovative experiment project and entrepreneurship program (2019116), Hunan Normal University major event social stability risk assessment center 2021-year program (2021WP08). The funders had no role in study design, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.