Psychosocial work conditions and the severity of insomnia symptoms and daytime sleepiness among nurses

Introduction Nurses are the largest occupational group in the healthcare system. Due to the nature of their work, they are particularly affected by consequences of changes occurring in the modern work environment. In this context, psychosocial working conditions are of particular importance, as they can either support employees’ well-being and engagement or serve as a source of chronic stress. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the associations between psychosocial working conditions and the severity of insomnia symptoms and daytime sleepiness among nurses, as well as to explore these associations across groups stratified by length of professional experience. Materials and methods The study included 366 male and female nurses from all over Poland. A diagnostic survey method was employed, utilizing the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire as well as a proprietary questionnaire that covered socio-demographic and work-related data. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric tests. Results The results of the study indicate that higher job demands were significantly associated with higher education (rho = 0.138; p = 0.008), more years of practice in the profession (rho = 0.153; p = 0.003), more years of practice at the current workplace (rho = 0.113; p = 0.030), a higher number of working hours per week (rho = 0.238; p < 0.001), a higher number of additional jobs (rho = 0.175; p = 0.001), and more frequent overtime work (rho = 0.135; p = 0.010). At the same time, higher job demands were associated with fewer patients per nurse during a shift. Among nurses with less than 5 years of professional experience, high job demands and well-being were significantly associated with the severity of sleep disturbances. Greater job control was associated with lower insomnia severity, whereas higher job demands were associated with greater severity of both insomnia and daytime sleepiness. Exploratory analyses conducted separately across professional experience groups revealed different patterns of correlations between dimensions of psychosocial working conditions and the severity of insomnia and daytime sleepiness. These analyses did not include a formal comparison of the strength of associations between the groups. Conclusion Higher levels of well-being, greater job control, and higher levels of social support were associated with less severe sleep problems in some analyses. Higher job demands were associated with more severe insomnia symptoms in some analyses and with a greater working-time burden, including longer working hours and more frequent overtime. Given the cross-sectional design and exploratory analyses, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.