Shift work and job satisfaction among Palestinian nurses: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundRotating shift work is associated with job dissatisfaction, sleeping disturbances, and health problems compared with working only in the daytime. Whether the relationship between rotating shift work and job satisfaction differs between the sexes among nurses in occupied Palestinian territory is unclear. We investigated this relationship and compared it with that among regular day workers. MethodsWe did a cross-sectional study in Hebron district in August to October, 2008, involving all registered nurses with at least 1 year of practice. Those who worked fixed evening or night shifts or who were on leave were excluded. Job satisfaction was assessed with the Generic Job Satisfaction scale, containing ten items with scores from 1 to 5; a higher score indicated a higher (better) job satisfaction. Associations were assessed with β coefficients and 95% CIs and χ2 tests in linear regression analyses. Statistical analyses were done with Stata (version 10). The threshold for significance was set at p=0·05. The study was approved by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. FindingsOf 472 eligible nurses, 426 (90%) were included in the study: 259 women and 167 men, among whom 217 worked shifts and 209 who worked only during the daytime. The mean job satisfaction score among female nurses was 32·6 (SD 6·4) and among male nurses was 31·7 (SD 7·0). Crude analyses showed that male and female shift workers reported lower job satisfaction than those working day shifts (mean score 30·8 [SD 6·5] vs 33·8 [6·4]). After adjustment for age, number of children, years of education, and job title, this effect remained statistically significant only among male nurses, as the men with rotating shift-work reported job scores 3·5 points lower than those working only during the daytime (β coefficient –3·5, 95% CI –5·9 to –1·1; p=0·005) whereas for women the β coefficient value was 0·10 (95% CI –1·8 to 2·1, p=0·90). InterpretationMale nurses working rotating shift patterns reported lower job satisfaction than men working only during the daytime, whereas no difference was found for female nurses. Because both exposure and outcome were measured using self-reported information and the study design was cross-sectional, interpretation of the results should be made with caution. However, further studies should investigate whether shift work affects the quality of patients’ care. FundingNorwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education.