Work Connectivity Behavior After-Hours and Occupational Fatigue in or Nurse-Parents

A latent profile analysis and the mediating role of psychological detachment

Bibliographic Data

ID22070340
AuthorsJizhu Qu (Shandong Provincial Hospital), Hao Hu (0000-0003-1365-0267, Shandong Provincial Hospital), Shijiao Lv (Shandong Provincial Hospital), Zelong Cheng (Taishan Medical University), Ranran Zhao (Taishan Medical University), Guangying Wan (Shandong Provincial Hospital, corresponding author), Jinbao Mao (Shandong Provincial Hospital, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume13
Pages1709488-1709488
Publication date2026-01-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1709488
PMID41573778
OpenAlexW7118764522
LanguageEN
References cited40

Background: In China, work connectivity behavior after-hours (WCBA) among operating room nurse who are parents (OR nurse-parents) are associated with increased occupational fatigue, whereas psychological detachment may serve as a potential protective factor. A thorough understanding of the relationship among the three factors is conducive to the management of occupational fatigue. Aim: Explore the relationship between OR nurse-parents' WCBA and occupational fatigue through Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), and analyze the mediating effect of psychological detachment. Methods: This study constituted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a prior study involving OR nurse-parents in 15 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China. Inclusion criteria were: (1) registered nurse with >1 year of OR experience; (2) parent of at least one child aged 0-18 years; (3) voluntary informed consent. Exclusion criteria were: (1) temporary staff or interns; (2) on extended leave during the study; (3) major comorbidities. A two-part analytical strategy was used. First, latent profile analysis identified subgroups by WCBA, psychological detachment, and occupational fatigue, with multinomial logistic regression then examining predictors of profile membership. Second, a parallel mediation analysis tested psychological detachment as a mediator between WCBA and occupational fatigue. Results: Data came from the 724 included OR nurse-parents. LPA revealed a three-profile model: "low WCBA-high psychological detachment-low occupational fatigue group (22%)," "moderate WCBA-moderate psychological detachment-moderate occupational fatigue group (50%)," and "high WCBA-low psychological detachment-high occupational fatigue group (28%)." Multivariate analysis identified working over 10 h daily as a risk factor for the high-risk group. Furthermore, Psychological detachment partially mediated the WCBA- occupational fatigue relationship across all occupational fatigue dimensions, accounting for 17.73%-31.52% of total effects. Conclusions: Mediation analysis confirmed that psychological detachment partially mediates the relationship between WCBA and occupational fatigue. LPA of WCBA, psychological detachment, and occupational fatigue revealed a three-profile solution among operating room nurse-parents in Shandong Province. A critical finding of LPA is that WCBA moderates the relationship between occupational fatigue and psychological detachment, creating a dual effect: while psychological detachment generally reduces occupational fatigue, its benefit diminishes or reverses under moderate WCBA, likely due to unclear communication expectations. Therefore, effective interventions must address both aspects: managing after-hours connectivity to reduce its intrusion and proactively promoting genuine psychological detachment to mitigate fatigue

Intrusion · Mediation · Occupational stress · Psychological intervention · Work behavior · Work engagement · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Nursing education and management · Work-Family Balance Challenges

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access