Work stress and burnout among young public health workers: a mechanism-based analysis of emotional labor and organizational support

Background Burnout is an increasing concern in public health, particularly among young workers entering frontline roles with limited experience and high early workload pressure. Methods We surveyed 410 young public health workers, including newly hired employees and volunteers in township clinics. Standardized measures assessed job demands, emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap mediation analysis were conducted, and group comparisons examined differences by employment status. Results Job demands were strongly associated with emotional exhaustion (β = 0.477, p < 0.001) but were not significantly related to emotional labor (β = 0.026, p = 0.607). Emotional labor was positively associated with emotional exhaustion (β = 0.512, p < 0.001). Emotional exhaustion showed the strongest association with burnout (β = 0.675, p < 0.001), while the direct path from emotional labor to burnout was not significant (β = 0.075, p = 0.075). Bootstrap tests supported a significant indirect effect of job demands on burnout through emotional exhaustion (effect = 0.307, 95% CI [0.245, 0.375], p < 0.001), whereas indirect effects involving emotional labor were not supported. Newly hired employees reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and burnout than volunteers. Conclusions Early burnout risk among young public health workers appears to be driven primarily by sustained exhaustion linked to job demands. Preventive efforts should prioritize realistic workload arrangements, clear role expectations, and stable organizational conditions that limit exhaustion accumulation during early career stages.