Recovery Experience as the Mediating Factor in the Relationship Between Sleep Disturbance and Depressive Symptoms Among Female Nurses in Chinese Public Hospitals: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

PURPOSE: Nurses are suffering from considerable work-related stress, which can result in disturbed sleep and depressive symptoms. Whereas, recovery experience can alleviate sleep disturbance and help maintain well-being in the working environment. The aim of this study was to examine whether recovery experiences play a mediating role in the relationship between sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms of female nurses in Chinese public hospitals. METHODS: From December 2017 to May 2018, the study with proportional sampling of cross-sectional design was carried out in the public tertiary hospitals from Shenyang of Liaoning Province in China. A total of 1500 female nurses who had been working for one or more years participated in this study. A structural equation model (SEM) was applied to test the assumption that recovery experiences might function as a mediator in the relationship between sleep disturbance and symptoms of depression. RESULTS: Sleep disturbance contributed most to the variance (32.9%) of depressive symptoms and had a significantly positive correlation with depressive symptoms (P<0.01) among nurses. Psychological detachment in recovery experience had a significantly positive correlation with sleep disturbance (P<0.01) and depressive symptoms (P<0.01). Whereas, relaxation, mastery experience, and control in recovery experience were significantly and negatively correlated with sleep disturbance (P<0.01) and depressive symptoms (P<0.01). Recovery experience served as a mediator between sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms (a * b = 0.066, BCa 95% CI: 0.045, 0.095). CONCLUSION: Sleep disturbance was the predictor of depressive symptoms for female nurses. Moreover, recovery experience could combat the detrimental impacts of sleep disturbances on symptoms of depression. This study suggested that nurses might benefit from interventions on improving sleep quality to relieve depressive symptoms through mediating path of recovery experience.