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Exploring Pathways Linking Work and Nonwork Factors to Sleep, Fatigue, and Health in Night Shift Nurses: A Structural
1College of Nursing, Susung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Journal of Nursing Management
|December 22, 2025
Summary
Work-life interference significantly impacts night shift nurses' health, worsening it through sleep disturbance and fatigue. Maintaining work-life balance is crucial for improving nurse well-being and mitigating adverse health effects.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Science
- Occupational Health
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Night shift work is linked to poor sleep and health outcomes in nurses.
- Few studies have explored the combined influence of work and non-work factors on night shift nurses' health.
- Understanding these complex relationships is vital for nurse well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the direct and indirect effects of work (emotional demands, shift rotation, social support) and non-work factors (exercise, work-life interference) on night shift nurses' health.
- To investigate the mediating roles of sleep disturbance and fatigue in these relationships.
- To develop a comprehensive model of factors influencing nurse health.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 289 nurses on rotating night shifts in South Korea.
- Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze relationships between variables.
- Validated instruments measured sleep disturbance, fatigue, emotional demands, social support, exercise, work-life interference, and health.
Main Results:
- Work-life interference was the strongest predictor of poor health, both directly and via sleep disturbance and fatigue.
- Emotional demands negatively impacted health through sleep disturbance and fatigue.
- Exercise showed indirect health benefits by reducing fatigue, while social support had no significant effect.
- The model explained 51.8% of the variance in health outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Prioritizing work-life balance is essential for enhancing night shift nurses' health.
- Interventions should address work-life interference, emotional demands, and promote exercise to mitigate health risks associated with shift work.
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