Work-family conflict and occupational fatigue among clinical nurses in China: a latent profile analysis

To examine the impact of work-family conflict (WFC) on occupational fatigue among clinical nurses in China and to identify the heterogeneity of occupational fatigue using latent profile analysis (LPA).

A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted between August and September 2025, involving 332 clinical nurses from six tertiary hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, the Fatigue Assessment Instrument (FAI), and the Work-Family Conflict Scale (WFC). Latent profile analysis was applied to identify distinct subgroups of occupational fatigue. Univariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression were performed to explore factors associated with different fatigue profiles.

A total of 332 valid questionnaires were included (response rate: 97.08%). The mean occupational fatigue score was 22.07 ± 2.59. Three latent profiles were identified: the low-fatigue group (8.13%), moderate-fatigue group (31.02%), and high-fatigue group (60.84%). Significant differences were observed across the three groups in daily working hours, weekly working days, and levels of work-family conflict (P < 0.05). Notably, work-family conflict increased progressively with fatigue severity. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that work-family conflict, daily working hours, and weekly working days were significantly associated with membership in both the moderate-fatigue group and high-fatigue group (P < 0.05).

Occupational fatigue among clinical nurses exhibits significant heterogeneity and can be classified into three latent profiles. Work-family conflict was significantly associated with occupational fatigue profiles among clinical nurses. Nursing managers may adopt a profile-based approach to identify fatigue patterns and implement targeted interventions from an individual-differences perspective to reduce occupational fatigue among nurses.