Objective To investigate the current status of occupational stress among financial industry practitioners in a district of Shanghai and to analyze its influencing factors.

Methods A cluster sampling method was used to select 606 employees from 10 financial institutions in a district of Shanghai during March and May 2024. A general information questionnaire and the Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS) were used to assess demographics, lifestyle, and occupational stress. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify potential influencing factors of occupational stress among the participants.

Results A total of 576 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid response rate of 95.05%. The mean occupational stress score of financial industry practitioners was (45.84 ± 8.66) points, and 252 individuals were identified with occupational stress, with a detection rate of 43.75%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that financial industry practitioners with a heavy night shift burden had a higher risk of experiencing occupational stress compared to those with no or light night shift burden (OR = 2.878, 95%CI: 1.380 to 6.000). Those with irregular working hours had a higher risk than those without irregular hours (OR = 2.998, 95%CI: 1.374 to 6.451). Individuals with business travel burdens had a higher risk compared to those without such burdens (OR = 2.751, 95%CI: 1.093 to 6.925). Those experiencing mental burdens had a higher risk of occupational stress compared to those without mental burdens (OR = 12.176, 95%CI: 3.035 to 48.847). Smokers had a higher risk of occupational stress compared to non-smokers (OR = 1.545, 95%CI: 1.004 to 2.378). All of these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusions Occupational stress was prevalent among financial industry practitioners in a district of Shanghai. Heavy night shift burden, irregular working hours, frequent business travel, significant mental burden, and smoking were influencing factors. Targeted interventions should be implemented to reduce occupational stress and protect the physical and mental health of financial professionals.