Changes in work/sleep patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with psychological distress among Japanese workers.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted working life quality. This study investigated whether changes in work/sleep patterns due to the pandemic are related to poor psychological status among Japanese workers during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (December 2020). We hypothesized that workers who experienced drastic changes in working hours and sleep duration would be at an increased risk of psychological distress. Methods: A cross-sectional self-administered Internet survey was conducted that included questions regarding socio-demographics, lifestyle, health, and occupational background and conditions. Multivariable logistic regression models were utilized to examine the association between psychological distress and a combination of changes in working hours and sleep duration. Results: Among 25,762 workers, decreased work hours and decreased sleep duration presented 2.59 times higher odds of psychological distress (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.05-3.28) compared to those who had no changes in work hours combined with unchanged sleep duration (reference group). Increased work hours and decreased sleep duration were associated with 1.98 times higher odds of psychological distress (95% CI = 1.64-2.39). Conclusion: Our observations confirmed that decreased sleep duration could be a key factor for psychological distress, irrespective of working hours. Interestingly, workers with a combination of decreased work hours and sleep duration posed the highest risk of psychological distress. Decreased work hours accompanied by financial difficulties in the early stage of the pandemic may have caused decreased sleep duration, resulting in a high prevalence of psychological distress. Our study underlined the importance of sleep management in maintaining workers' mental health, moreover, the need to consider situations and conditions of other daily tasks, such as work hours, for better sleep management.

Psychological Distress, Japanese Teleworkers, and Supervisor Support During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking became the new workplace norm, creating a new challenge for workplace communication. This study investigated the association between source-specific workplace social support and psychological distress among Japanese teleworkers and nonteleworkers. METHODS: A total of 15,045 workers were extracted from a cross-sectional web-based survey that assessed psychological distress, workplace social support from supervisors and coworkers. After grouping participants into four groups based on their positions (managers, staff members) and teleworking arrangements (teleworking, nonteleworking), multiple logistic regression analyses were performed separately. RESULTS: Teleworkers with less supervisor support demonstrated the highest risk of psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio = 2.55, P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient supervisor support for teleworking staff members may be a key occupational risk factor for psychological distress in the postpandemic future.

Exploring the Competencies of Japanese Expert Nurse Practitioners: A Thematic Analysis.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) provide medical care equivalent to that of physicians and facilitate access to healthcare. Although Japan's first NP graduated in 2010, how Japanese expert NPs work effectively in clinical contexts is yet to be investigated. We aimed to identify the competencies that make expert NPs in Japan effective. Twelve Japanese expert NPs were purposely selected. The average age of the participants was 44.8 years, average NP experience was 7.5 years, and eight participants were women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online from March to May 2021. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: working in physicians' contexts, interprofessional collaboration, involvement in nurses' work, contribution to healthcare, and personal qualities for effective working. Japanese expert NPs can function effectively in clinical settings by flexibly and humbly collaborating with other medical professionals who have autonomous positions. They can improve the quality of healthcare by proposing practical solutions to problems faced by patients and medical organizations. These explored competencies can be applied to other aging and more complex societal contexts, and in updating the required competencies of Japanese NPs.