Work schedule differences in sleep problems of nursing home caregivers.
Nursing home caregivers (n=775; 604 women; mean age 33.6 years) were studied to examine how work schedules affect their sleep. The shift group (n=536) worked under a rotating two-shift system (n=365), a rotating three-shift system (n=66), or other types of shifts (n=78). The non-shift group included 222 caregivers. Participants completed a questionnaire about working conditions, sleep problems, health, lifestyle, and demographic factors. The two-shift caregivers reported the highest levels of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS, 37.6%), insomnia symptoms (43.0%), and poor quality of sleep (24.9%) among the groups. Adjusted odds ratios for these problems were significantly greater for the two-shift caregivers than for non-shift counterparts: DIS (odds ratio 2.86, 95% confidence interval 1.57-5.20), insomnia symptoms (2.33, 1.36-4.02), and poor sleep quality (2.15, 1.09-4.22). Our data suggest that working under a rotating two-shift system, which has a longer night shift, is associated with an elevated risk of sleep problems for nursing home caregivers.
Takahashi
Masaya
M
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, 6-21-1, Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki 214-8585, Japan. takaham@h.jniosh.go.jp <takaham@h.jniosh.go.jp>
Iwakiri
Kazuyuki
K
Sotoyama
Midori
M
Higuchi
Shigekazu
S
Kiguchi
Masako
M
Hirata
Mamoru
M
Hisanaga
Naomi
N
Kitahara
Teruyo
T
Taoda
Kazushi
K
Nishiyama
Katsuo
K
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016272:Occupational Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology