Nightmare distress, insomnia and resilience of nursing staff in the post-pandemic era
A. Pachi, A. Tselebis, Christos Sikaras, Eleni Paraskevi Sideri, Maria Ivanidou, S. Baras, C. Milionis, Ioannis Ilias
AIMS Public Health December 18, 2023 DOI: 10.3934/publichealth.2024003 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDuring the pandemic, 61.4% of nurses had abnormal insomnia scores and 7% had abnormal nightmare distress scores, while 25.4% showed low mental resilience. Female nurses reported more insomnia and nightmare distress but lower resilience than males. Mental resilience partially mediated the effect of nightmares on insomnia, and gender moderated this relationship. Nightmare distress accounted for 24% of the variance in insomnia, with resilience explaining an additional 6.5%.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 433 |
| Population | Nurses (355 female, 78 male) |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Nightmare distress significantly predicted insomnia in nurses, and mental resilience partially attenuated this effect, with gender moderating the relationship. |
Abstract
Introduction The pandemic has led to notable psychological challenges among healthcare professionals, including nurses. Objective Our aims of this study were to assess insomnia and nightmare distress levels in nurses and investigate their association with mental resilience. Methods Nurses participated in an online survey, which included the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Demographic information, such as age, professional experience and gender, was also collected. Results The study included 355 female and 78 male nurses. Findings revealed that 61.4% had abnormal AIS scores, 7% had abnormal NDQ scores and 25.4% had low BRS scores. Female nurses had higher AIS and NDQ scores but lower BRS scores compared to males. BRS demonstrated negative correlations with both AIS and NDQ. Multiple regression analysis indicated that NDQ accounted for 24% of the AIS variance, with an additional 6.5% explained by the BRS. BRS acted as a mediator, attenuating the impact of nightmares on insomnia, with gender moderating this relationship. Conclusions Nursing staff experienced heightened sleep disturbances during the pandemic, with nightmares and insomnia being prevalent. Nightmares significantly contributed to insomnia, but mental resilience played a vital role in mitigating this effect. Strategies are warranted to address the pandemic's psychological impact on nursing professionals.