ABSTRACT
The mediating role of fatigue in the relationship between the quality of sleep and quality of life of shift-working nurses has been predicted in previous studies. Interventions that focus on improving the quality of life of a nurse, who works 24 h shifts in close proximity to patients, should take the mediating role of fatigue into account. This study investigates the mediation of fatigue in the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life for shift-working nurses. This cross sectional study collected self-reported questionnaire responses on variables including sleep quality, quality of life, and fatigue of shift-working nurses. We performed a three-step mediating effect verification procedure with 600 study participants. We found a negative and significant correlation between sleep quality and quality of life, a significant positive correlation between sleep quality and fatigue, and a negative correlation between quality of life and fatigue. We found: (1) that the quality of sleep affects the quality of life of shift-working nurses, (2) that the quality of sleep is correlated with the degree of fatigue, and (3) that the degree of fatigue is high, which means that quality of life decreases. Thus, it is necessary to develop and apply a strategy to reduce shift-working nurses’ fatigue to improve their sleep quality and quality of life.
Acknowledgments
This research was part of the Brain Korea 21 FOUR Project by National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea, Yonsei University College of Nursing.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [I.Y.], upon reasonable request.