Sleep Worry Among Clinical Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Sleep-related worry is recognized as a significant determinant of sleep quality. Yet the prevalence and correlates of sleep worry among clinical nurses have not been well established. PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of sleep worry among clinical nurses in order to guide the development of targeted intervention strategies. METHODS: Clinical nurses employed at a large urban hospital in China from June to November 2024 were recruited for this study. A rigorously developed and validated sleep worry scale was used to assess each nurse's level of sleep worry. Correlational analysis was used to identify significant associations between variables of interest and sleep worry. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify significant influencing factors of sleep worry. RESULTS: A total of 285 clinical nurses were included in the study. Within this cohort, the prevalence of sleep worry was 64%; the mean sleep worry scale score was 32.14. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between sleep worry and participants' age, work department, professional title, years of nursing experience, and number of night shifts per month. Multiple linear regression analysis identified age, work department, professional title, years of nursing experience, and number of night shifts per month as significant influencing factors of sleep worry. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of sleep worry among clinical nurses underscores the need for targeted and effective intervention strategies. The identified influencing factors provide valuable guidance for the development of these strategies. Such measures are essential to effectively mitigate sleep worry among clinical nurses, thereby potentially enhancing their overall well-being and job performance.