Shift work, mental distress and job satisfaction among Palestinian nurses.
BACKGROUND
Associations between shift work (SW) schedules, mental distress and job satisfaction have never been completely described.


OBJECTIVE
To examine gender-specific associations of SW with mental distress and job satisfaction in nurses in Hebron District, Palestine, in 2012.


METHODS
Detailed information on work schedules (day versus shift), socio-demographic status, mental distress (General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-30) and job satisfaction (Generic Job Satisfaction Scale) in nurses employed in Hebron District, Palestine, was obtained through a questionnaire survey. Associations of SW and outcomes were examined by linear regression analysis.


RESULTS
Of 372 nurses eligible for the study, 309 and 338 completed surveys regarding mental distress and job satisfaction, respectively. The sample comprised 62% women and 38% men. After adjusting for covariates, women working shifts reported significantly higher levels of mean mental distress [β coefficient 3.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-7.0] compared with women working regular day shifts. Men working shifts reported significantly lower levels of job satisfaction (-3.3; 95% CI -6.2 to -0.5) than men working regular day shifts. Women reported higher levels of mental distress than men, but this was unrelated to work schedule.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, nurses working shifts reported higher levels of mental distress and lower levels of job satisfaction, although these associations were weaker when adjusted for potential covariates. There was no evidence of a gender differential in the association between SW and mental distress and job satisfaction.
Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo 0033, Norway, jaradat.you@gmail.com.|Section for Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316, Norway.
Y M
YM
Jaradat
Department of Work Psychology and Physiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo 0033, Norway.
M B
MB
Nielsen
Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo 0033, Norway.
P
P
Kristensen
Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo 0033, Norway.
R
R
Bast-Pettersen
D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology*
Gender; job satisfaction; mental distress; shift work schedule.
Br J Psychiatry. 1996 Nov;169(5):662-4
8932899
J Appl Psychol. 2003 Oct;88(5):879-903
14516251
Sleep Med Rev. 2011 Aug;15(4):221-35
20851006
Occup Med (Lond). 2003 Mar;53(2):83-8
12637591
J Adv Nurs. 2003 Dec;44(6):633-42
14651686
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2009 Oct;35(5):361-7
19688143
Appl Ergon. 2008 Sep;39(5):630-9
18313640
Contemp Nurse. 2016 Aug;52(4):381-397
27160155