The Association of Sleep Quality and Internet Addiction With Health Status in Hospital Nurses

The aims of this study were to explore the correlation of sleep quality and Internet addiction (IA) with the health status of hospital nurses and to investigate whether sleep quality is a mediator in the influence of IA on the health of the nurses.

Excessive Internet use is a public health concern. However, few researchers have investigated the interrelationship of the IA, sleep quality, and health status of hospital nurses.

This study used a descriptive and cross-sectional design.

The study was conducted using survey data from a medical center in Taiwan. The Chen Internet Addiction Scale, Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Chinese Health Questionnaire-12 were provided to the participants. Independent t tests, chi-square test, and structural equation model were performed for analysis.

A total of 628 participants were recruited. The participants with IA exhibited significantly worse health status and poorer sleep quality compared with the participants without IA. Participants with poor sleep quality exhibited significantly worse health status and higher IA than those with normal sleep quality. The influence of IA on health status was indirect, with sleep quality as a mediator.

Hospital nurses with IA or poor sleep quality exhibited poor health status. Sleep quality mediated the influence of IA on the health status of the nurses. Hospital administrators should identify nurses at a high risk of IA, provide support strategies, and schedule work shifts more reasonably to improve their sleep quality. The hospital nurses' health and patients' safety could be further protected.