When telepressure never sleeps: psychological/spatial detachment as mediators to sleep quality in digital nomads

Introduction Grounded in the Stressor–Detachment Model and the Job Demands–Resources Theory, this study examines how telepressure—the perceived obligation to stay constantly connected—affects the sleep quality of digital nomads through psychological and spatial detachment, while testing the moderating role of psychological resilience. We hypothesized that telepressure reduces psychological and spatial detachment, which in turn impairs sleep quality, and that psychological resilience buffers these effects. Methods Using cross-sectional survey data from 539 digital nomads in China, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesized direct, mediating, and moderating relationships. Telepressure, psychological detachment, spatial detachment, and psychological resilience were assessed using established multi-item scales, and sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Job demands were included as a control variable. Results Telepressure exerted significant negative effects on both psychological detachment (β = −0.265, p 0.001) and spatial detachment (β = −0.153, p = 0.003), whereas its direct effect on sleep quality was not significant (β = −0.028, p = 0.567). Mediation analyses revealed that telepressure indirectly impaired sleep quality through both psychological detachment (indirect effect = −0.039, 95% CI −0.073, −0.009) and spatial detachment (indirect effect = −0.019, 95% CI −0.042, −0.002). Psychological resilience positively moderated the relationship between spatial detachment and sleep quality (β = 0.159, p = 0.006) but did not significantly moderate the psychological detachment–sleep quality link. Discussion The findings highlight the pivotal role of dual detachment mechanisms in the recovery process and illuminate the health risks of telepressure in flexible, technology-mediated work contexts. Individuals with higher resilience appear better able to maintain behavioral and environmental boundaries for effective recovery. The results emphasize the necessity of supporting both psychological and spatial detachment to sustain workplace health and sleep quality among digital nomads.