Relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and mental health in shift nurses

Abstract

Purpose: The nurses work long hours and in various shifts, and often accompanied by depression, fatigue and sleep disorders. Many studies have found that vitamin D is related to mental health. We aimed to investigate the relationship between depression, sleep problems, fatigue, and serum vitamin D3 levels in shift nurses as a basis for improving their mental health. Methods: We recruited 34 day-shift, 30 evening-shift and 31 night-shift nurses. The questionnaires used are: The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Numerical Rating Scale and General Sleep Disturbance Scale. Results: Approximately 96.1% of shift nurses had deficient (<20 ng/ml) and inadequate (20–29 ng/ml) vitamin D3 levels. Approximately 84.2% of shift nurses experienced fatigue. Night-shift nurses experienced significantly more severe sleep disturbance than day-shift and evening-shift nurses. However, no significant correlation was observed between vitamin D3 levels and mental health when the vitamin D3 level was categorized.Conclusion: Vitamin D3 deficiency, sleep disturbance, depression, and fatigue were common in shift nurses, but it was not possible to demonstrate the impact of vitamin D3 deficiency on the mental health of shift nurses. However, the relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and mental health in shift nurses could not be ignored.