title: Insomnia in female nurses: a nationwide retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explored the incidence of insomnia in female nursing staff and compared the incidence with that in other medical and nonmedical female workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study analyzed female nurses with insomnia using data from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008. The incidence of insomnia in other female medical workers and nonmedical female workers was also analyzed and compared with that of the nurses. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, each study patient was identified by ID number. The incidence and rate ratio of insomnia were calculated according to their outpatient claims.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with other medical and nonmedical female workers, female nurses had higher incidences of adjustment insomnia and psychophysiological insomnia. However, female nurses had a lower incidence of nonorganic insomnia than did other female medical personnel. Older participants and those with the comorbidities of depressive and respiratory disorders had a higher risk of insomnia than did younger participants and those with other comorbidities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that nurses should be encouraged to relax in order to facilitate stress relief and improve their quality of sleep.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Mathematics & Statistics , San Diego State University , USA.
authors.forename: Kasumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , Taipei Medical University , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Yin
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: b College of Nursing , Taipei Medical University , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Min-Huey
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D016272:Occupational Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: incidence; nurses; sleep; women’s studies; workforce issues