Sleep Quality of Industrial Workers with Rotating Shifts based on Occupational Fatigue: Structural Equation Modeling

Shiftwork among industrial workers can lead to poor sleep quality, which in turn is related to occupational fatigue. This study aimed to predict the sleep quality of industrial workers with rotating shifts based on occupational fatigue using structural equation modeling.

This descriptive study was conducted among 208 production line workers in a food industry of Alborz province, Iran, in the year 2022. Participants were selected by the census method. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQI), and occupational recovery (OFER-15). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the association between the latent variables of occupation fatigue and sleep quality.

About 74% of workers in all three subscales (chronic, acute, and recovery) reported moderate or high fatigue. In seven subscales related to sleep quality, approximately 22.6-32.2% of workers in the subscales of subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, and daytime dysfunction reported poor or very poor quality. The results indicated a significant and negative association between occupational fatigue and the sleep quality of workers. The model presented in this study indicated that occupational fatigue could predict 22% of sleep quality among industrial workers (R2=0.22, β=-0.47, t-value=-4.37).

According to the results of structural association between latent variables, decreasing occupational fatigue could improve sleep quality among one-fifth of industrial workers. Therefore, identifying effective factors and corrective strategies for removing occupational fatigue plays an important role in promoting the sleep quality of rotating shift workers.