Occupational sedentary behaviour and mental health symptoms among software and IT workers in China: a cross-sectional study using path analysis

Evidence regarding the association between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms remains limited. As the workplace contributes substantially to daily sedentary time, understanding its association with employees’ mental health is important. This study aimed to: (1) estimate self-reported sedentary behaviour among software and information technology (IT) workers in China; (2) examine the association between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms; and (3) identify factors that may influence this relationship. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among software and IT employees from four companies in Wuhan, China. Self-reported data on occupational sedentary time and mental health symptoms were collected. Hierarchical regression and path analysis were used to explore associations among 235 valid responses. Mean occupational sedentary time was 427.9 (± 133.2) minutes (≈ 7.13 ± 2.22 hours), while total daily sedentary time reached 499.9 (± 161) minutes (≈ 8.33 ± 2.68 hours) during workdays. Participants reported moderate to high levels of depression and anxiety, and moderate to low levels of stress. After adjustment for confounding variables, no significant associations were observed between total or occupational sedentary behaviour and depression or anxiety. Total sedentary time was significantly associated with stress. The association between occupational sedentary behaviour and stress was attenuated after accounting for occupational factors and poor sleep quality. Path analysis, based on a cross-sectional model in which sleep quality was specified a priori and occupational factors were explored in a data-driven manner, suggested a potential indirect association between occupational sedentary behaviour and stress. Longer tenure appeared to act as a confounding factor, being negatively associated with both occupational sedentary behaviour and stress. Software and IT workers in China exhibited high levels of occupational sedentary behaviour and pre-clinical mental health symptoms. No direct associations were identified between occupational sedentary behaviour and depression, anxiety, or stress in this cross-sectional sample. However, a potential indirect association with stress via poor sleep quality was observed but was not statistically significant. These findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than causal, and may help inform future longitudinal research and workplace initiatives focusing on sleep hygiene and holistic well-being.