Nurses' Rest Breaks and Fatigue: The Roles of Psychological Detachment and Workload
Knar Sagherian1, Clea McNeely1, Hyeonmi Cho2
1College of Nursing, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Western Journal of Nursing Research
|August 25, 2023
Summary
Rest breaks help nurses recover from fatigue only if they can mentally detach from work. Heavy workloads disrupt this recovery, highlighting the importance of manageable tasks for nurse well-being.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Nursing Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Rest breaks are intended to reduce acute fatigue in nurses.
- However, not all nurses experience reduced fatigue after breaks, suggesting other factors are involved.
- Psychological detachment and workload are potential moderators of this effect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mediating role of psychological detachment during rest breaks.
- To determine how workload influences the relationship between rest breaks and acute fatigue.
- To understand within-shift recovery mechanisms for hospital nurses.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study surveyed 1861 nurses working 12-hour shifts.
- Data collected included occupational fatigue, psychological detachment, workload, and break habits.
- Structural equation modeling analyzed the effects of rest breaks on fatigue across different workload levels.
Main Results:
- Nurses reported high fatigue, low psychological detachment during breaks, and heavy workloads.
- Psychological detachment fully mediated the relationship between rest breaks and reduced acute fatigue.
- This mediating effect was only observed with manageable workloads.
Conclusions:
- Within-shift recovery is achievable through psychological detachment during breaks.
- Heavy workloads impede the recovery benefits of rest breaks for nurses.
- Interventions should focus on facilitating detachment and managing workload for nurse well-being.
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