Balancing Shifts and Sanity - The Effects of Shift Work on Nurses' Mental Well-Being : a Descriptive Literature Review

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of shift work on nurses' mental well-being. The aim is to produce new knowledge that can be utilized to determine the effect of shift work on nurses’ mental well-being. Shift work is a prominent aspect of nursing practice, but is still increasingly linked with negative mental well-being consequences. Eleven peer-reviewed primary studies published between 2020-2025 were identified from PubMed and CINAHL in this qualitative descriptive literature review. An inductive content analysis was applied to interpret the data to build codes and generate distinct sub-categories and generic categories. The results also show that shift work has a major effect on emotional exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, depression, sleep, and cognitive performance. Influencing factors included sleep patterns, shift structure, lifestyle habits, work conditions, and coping ability. Although there were some beneficial effects for nurses working longer shifts, the negative psychological effects were more frequent.

The discussion emphasized that these reports are in broad agreement with past research on circadian rhythm disturbances, Shift Work Disorder, and occupational fatigue. In conclusion, the necessity of institutional changes (e.g., improved scheduling and mental health support) is stressed for better mental wellbeing shift nurses, besides personal alterations that can be made by the nurses themselves.