Relationships of Mental Health Problems with Stress Among Civil Servants in Guangzhou, China

Psychosocial problems and stress-related diseases account for a high proportion of health problems. This study aimed to assess stress status and mental health, and their relationships with each other among civil servants in China. In a cross-sectional study of 600 randomly selected civil servants in 2007, we assessed mental health via the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), and stress status via a Self-Rated Stress Scale. Canonical correlation analysis was performed to assess the interrelationships among mental health symptoms and the various stressors. The participants scored higher in the total score and the seven domains of the SCL-90 (except for interpersonal sensitivity and hostility), compared with the norms documented in China. Canonical correlation analysis demonstrated positive and direct relationship in the first canonical function indicating that the nine mental health problems and various stressors were related (Canonical correlation = 0.715). Among the civil servants, mental health problems are highly associated with various stressors.