The relationship between sleep quality and occupational identity among psychiatric night shift nurses

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and occupational identity among psychiatric night shift nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from August to December 2024 among psychiatric night shift nurses at Nantong Fourth People's Hospital. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire covering three domains: (1) sociodemographics and work characteristics, (2) lifestyle factors (physical exercise and dietary regularity), and (3) night shift related sleep patterns. The survey used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Occupational Identity Scale. Analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to identify factors influencing sleep quality. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between sleep quality and occupational identity. Results: Logistic regression analysis indicated that the following factors were significantly associated with sleep quality: night shift frequency, sleep quality before and after shifts, daily diet, daily exercise, and the total score of occupational identity. Subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and daytime dysfunction scores were significantly negatively correlated with total occupational identity score and scores of its dimensions. Conclusion: Psychiatric night-shift nurses generally exhibited poor sleep quality, and the total PSQI score showed a significant negative correlation with the total OIS score. Key factors influencing sleep quality include night shift frequency, sleep quality before and after shifts, as well as lifestyle factors such as daily diet and regular exercise, and occupational identity. Therefore, nursing managers should prioritize sleep health management by optimizing schedules, promoting healthy lifestyle habits, and enhancing occupational identity to improve job stability.