Interaction between job stress, serum BDNF level and the BDNF rs2049046 polymorphism in job burnout

Shu-Chang He; Shuang Wu; Chao Wang; Dong-Mei Wang; Jiesi Wang; Hang Xu; Li Wang; Xiang Yang Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.181

Interaction between job stress, serum BDNF level and the BDNF rs2049046 polymorphism in job burnout

J Affect Disord. 2020 Apr 1:266:671-677. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.181. Epub 2020 Feb 1.

Authors

Shu-Chang He¹, Shuang Wu², Chao Wang², Dong-Mei Wang³, Jiesi Wang³, Hang Xu³, Li Wang³, Xiang Yang Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian district, 100871 Beijing, China. Electronic address: shuchangh@pku.edu.cn.
² School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian district, 100871 Beijing, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: zhangxy@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 32056943
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.181

Abstract

Background: Some studies have shown that long-term exposure to job stress could result in burnout, and BDNF polymorphism may play an important role in its psychopathological mechanism. However, the inter-relationships between the job-related stress, serum BDNF level, BDNF genotype and job burnout have not been examined. This study was to explore the job stress × BDNF rs2049046 interaction and the role of serum BDNF level in job burnout in a Chinese Han population.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 205 healthy subjects were recruited from a public institution in Beijing and assessed for job stress using the House and Rizzo's Work Stress Scale, and job burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The BDNF rs2049046 polymorphism was genotyped and serum BDNF (sBDNF) levels were assayed in all of subjects.

Results: The correlations between the job stress score and two burnout subscale scores (emotional exhaustion and cynicism) were significant (both p < 0.001), but not with professional efficacy. There were no significant main effects of the BDNF rs2049046 genotype on burnout, and no significant correlation was observed between sBDNF levels and job burnout. However, the interaction between the job stress and the BDNF rs2049046 genotype (F = 2.709, df = 2, 183, p = 0.032) or between the job stress and sBDNF levels on burnout was significant (t = -2.132, p = 0.035). To be specific, the individuals with the BDNF rs2049046 AT genotype showed a greater susceptibility to the burnout cynicism compared to AA homozygote only in medium-stress group (F = 4.327, df = 1,117, p = 0.015). The individuals who had lower sBDNF showed higher burnout level than those who had higher sBDNF in low-stress group.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the BDNF system may interact with job stress to affect burnout, showing that interaction between BDNF rs2049046 and job stress or the interaction between BDNF levels with work stress on certain burnout dimensions.

Keywords: Burnout; Gene polymorphism; Job stress; sBDNF.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Beijing
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / blood
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / genetics*
Burnout, Professional* / genetics
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Job Satisfaction
Occupational Stress*
Stress, Psychological / genetics
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
BDNF protein, human