Zeitschrift für Gesundheitsfürsorge und Prävention

Abstrakt

The Impact of Shift Work on Nurses' Stress, Fatigue, and Sleep Quality

Dr. Wang Mika

To look into how Japanese nurses who work shifts are affected by stress, exhaustion, and sleep quality. Design: Self-administered surveys were used in a descriptive correlation design.

Methods: 653 nurses in Japan were given questionnaires on stress, exhaustion, and sleep quality (the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; PSQI-J) between January and February 2015.

Results: Those who felt more tired also felt more stressed (r = 0.774, p = 0.000), less satisfied with their sleep (r = 0.411, p = 0.000), and less healthy overall (r = 0.323, p = 0.000). Moreover, there was a strong correlation between PSQI scores and reported levels of stress, weariness, and health. The PSQI revealed that nurses with stress-relieving resources were younger (t = 2.842, p = 0.005), reported being in better overall health, and needed less time to fall asleep. Conclusions: This study found a link between stress and sleep quality among Japanese nurses who work shifts. Also, nurses who participate in stress-reduction exercises may have improved health and better sleep.