Professional quality of life, sleep disturbance and health among nurses: A mediation analysis

AIMS: This study aimed to examine sleep disturbance as a mediator of the relationship between professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress) and health (physical and mental health) in nurses. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross‐sectional study. METHODS: Three hundred eighteen Registered Nurses completed a web‐based survey at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in the United States. Mediation analyses were conducted to test hypothesized relationships. RESULTS: Nurses with higher levels of compassion satisfaction reported lower levels of sleep disturbance and better physical/mental health. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress were negatively associated with physical/mental health and positively associated with sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance fully or partially mediated the relationships between professional quality of life and physical/mental health among nurses.