The relationship between the emergency nurses' sleep quality and the sleep quality of their spouses: A cross‐sectional descriptive‐analytical study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Due to the heavy working shifts, emergency nurses may have to sleep at unusual times of the day, affecting their spouse's sleep. This study proposed to detect the relationship between the woman emergency nurse's sleep quality and the sleep quality of their spouses. METHODS: This cross‐sectional descriptive‐analytical study has lasted for 4 months since June 21, 2020. The study population was all women nurses working at a hospital emergency department. The data was collected by a demographic questionnaire and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) for nurses and their spouses. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The prevalence of sleep quality disorder among female emergency department nurses and their husbands was 82.7% and 80.6%, respectively. The mean sleep quality score of female nurses and their husbands was 8.46 ± 4.43 and 6.50 ± 2.52, respectively. A strong and positive correlation was found between the PSQI score of female nurses and their husbands (p < 0.001). The regression model showed that increasing the body mass index (BMI) of female emergency nurses can decrease their sleep quality. However, increasing the BMI of female emergency nurses' spouses and their work experience in the emergency department can improve their sleep quality. CONCLUSION: The sleep quality of female emergency department nurses was directly correlated with their husbands' sleep quality. Therefore, the sleep quality of nurses working in the emergency departments and their spouses should be examined periodically.