Effects of occupational factors on depression in Chinese veterans: a fsQCA study based on 2022 CFPS data

AimThis study examines how multiple occupational attributes, including job satisfaction, occupational prestige, job stability, job decision authority, remuneration, and formal employment status, combine in relation to depressive symptoms among Chinese veterans.MethodsThis study employs fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to examine configurational associations, which is particularly suitable for outcomes shaped by multiple interacting conditions. Using data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (2022 CFPS), we focus on veterans and investigate how combinations of occupational factors are associated with depression, thereby complementing conventional variable-centered linear approaches in occupational health and safety (OHS) research. To improve data quality, we excluded non-veterans, veterans beyond working age, student veterans, and observations with missing values or extreme outliers. The final analytic sample comprises 247 cases.ResultsThe findings underscore the asymmetric nature of configurational relationships. No stable sufficient configuration was identified for the high-depression outcome in either the baseline model or robustness checks, suggesting that elevated depression may be shaped by more complex antecedents or by factors beyond the occupational domain. By contrast, 10 configurations were identified for the low-depression outcome, with acceptable overall solution consistency and coverage. Formal employment, job satisfaction, remuneration, occupational prestige, and job stability emerged as key configurational elements associated with low depression. Job decision authority appeared to be context-dependent rather than a core condition for low depression.ConclusionTen distinct configurations associated with low depression were identified. The findings suggest the importance of strengthening formal labor protection, improving person-job fit and job satisfaction, ensuring fair remuneration, enhancing occupational recognition, and supporting employment stability among veterans. Because this study uses cross-sectional data, the configurations should be interpreted as occupational patterns associated with depression outcomes rather than as definitive causal or intervention effects.