Association Between Role Overload and Sleep Quality Among Chinese First-Line Nurses During the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Moderating Effect of Mindfulness

Background Nurses working during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have experienced a high incidence of insomnia because of exposure to life-threatening occupational risks. Good sleep is essential for nurses to maintain their ability to care for patients with infectious diseases. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the influence of role overload on sleep quality and the moderating role of mindfulness. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study, which was conducted between March 20 and April 5, 2020. The survey was completed by 357 nurses who had relocated from Fujian Province to the epicenter of the outbreak in China to treat patients with COVID-19. Role overload, sleep quality, and mindfulness in these nurses were evaluated using the Role Overload Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, respectively. Results Hierarchical regression and other statistical methods were used to analyze the data. Role overload was shown to be positively related to poor sleep quality, and mindfulness was found to be effective in alleviating sleep disorders associated with role overload. Conclusions The high risk of sleep disturbance among frontline nurses may be alleviated by reducing their perceived role overload. The identification of mindfulness as a moderating mechanism in the relationship between role overload and sleep quality provides new insights to improve sleep quality in nurses.