A prospective cohort study on the relationship between changing occupational roles, shift work and sleep disorders

Background: Occupational roles are considered as a risk factor for sleep disorders. However, little research has examined the effects of shift work interacting with changing occupational roles on sleep disorders. Objective: To determine the relationship between changing occupational roles, shift work and sleep disorders. Methods: The cohort study began in January 2013 and ended in January 2020. The survey used the stratified cluster sampling method, a total of 719 people were included in the analysis. The occupational roles were measured with the Occupational Role Questionnaire. Simultaneously the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to investigate the occurrence of sleep disorders. Results: The number of people with sleep disorders was 227, with an incidence of 31.57%. The Role Overload (RR: 1.449, 95% CI: 1.028–2.042), Role Boundary (RR: 1.914, 95% CI: 1.369–2.676), Responsibility (RR: 1.391, 95% CI: 1.002–1.925), and Physical Environment (RR: 2.140, 95% CI: 1.550–5.956) may increase the risk of sleep disorders. The risk of sleep disorders in the elevated (baseline-follow up) occupational roles group was higher than that of the unchanged group (RR: 2.293, 95% CI: 1.620–3.245). Shift work situation (RR: 2.784, 95% CI: 1.987–3.901) may increase the risk of sleep disorders, and the interaction between changing occupational roles and shift work also increased the risk of sleep disorders (RR: 6.455, 95% CI: 3.283–12.691). Conclusions: The elevating occupational roles and shift work increase the risk of sleep disorders and have a synergistic effect, highlighting the importance of preventive measures against changing occupational roles and reasonably adjusting shift work patterns to reduce sleep disorders.