Aim: We aimed to examine the mediating effects of the Sense of Coherence (SOC) on the relationship between stress and sleep in nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey targeting nurses in Chiba and Tokyo during the summer of 2021 was conducted using Google Forms. Responses were obtained using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the 13-item version of the SOC scale (SOC-13), and questions regarding COVID-19-related stress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to investigate relevant relationships.
Results: A total of 181 valid responses were obtained from 400 surveyed nurses. SEM analysis showed that COVID-19 stress was indirectly related to PSQI via its effect on SOC-13, with higher SOC-13 negatively correlated with PSQI.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest the need for interventions designed to promote SOC for nurses working under stressful conditions.
Keywords: COVID‐19; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Sense of Coherence; nurses; structural equation modeling.
© 2024 The Author(s). Japan Journal of Nursing Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Academy of Nursing Science.