Geographical Distance to the Epicenter of Covid-19 Predicts the Burnout of Working Population: Ripple effect or Typhoon Eye effect?

COVID-19 originated in Wuhan and rippled across China. We investigate how the geographical distance of working adults to the epicenter of Wuhan predicts their burnout. Preliminary results of a survey of 308 working adults in 53 cities showed working adults’ distance to the epicenter of Wuhan had an inverted U-shaped relationship with their burnout. Such results help to identify regions where people would need more psychiatric assistance, carrying direct implications to healthcare practitioners and policymakers.