Table 1. Main characteristics of night-shift healthcare workers according to their professional category (n = 1,387, AP-HP ALADDIN survey, Paris public hospitals).
| Professional category of NSHW | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Whole study population | Nurses | Assistant nurses or technicians | Midwives | Executives | Other categories | p-value 1 |
| (n = 1,387) | (52.3%) | (38.2%) | (4.2%) | (0.8%) | (4.6%) | ||
| Percent [95% CI ♦ ] or mean (SD) | |||||||
| a. Socio-demographic and economic characteristics | |||||||
| Female gender | 77.5 [75.1–79.9] | 82.4 | 71.2 | 96.1 | 71.2 | 58.4 | <0.001 |
| Age— in years | 39.3 (12.0) | 36.5 (10.7) | 43.4 (10.3) | 33.1 (8.0) | 51.8 (9.5) | 40.3 (11.7) | <0.001 |
| Matrimonial status | <0.001 | ||||||
| • single | 36.6 [34.0–39.2] | 43.2 | 29.4 | 29.2 | 13.1 | 32.8 | |
| • in cohabitation | 20.8 [18.6–23.0] | 21.1 | 18.9 | 35.3 | 16.6 | 20.9 | |
| • in civil partnership or married | 33.4 [30.8–35.9] | 28.8 | 39.7 | 35.6 | 43.8 | 29.4 | |
| • widow or widower | 9.2 [7.6–10.9] | 7.0 | 12.1 | 0 | 26.5 | 16.9 | |
| Has children | <0.001 | ||||||
| • no | 49.8 [47.1–52.6] | 60.9 | 33.3 | 67.8 | 24.9 | 49.9 | |
| • yes, and at least one lives at home | 42.4 [39.7–45.1] | 36.9 | 52.1 | 32.2 | 49.5 | 32.7 | |
| • yes, but none at home | 7.8 [6.1–9.5] | 2.2 | 14.7 | 0 | 25.6 | 17.4 | |
| Has partial or complete custody of at least one child | 40.5 [37.8–43.1] | 36.0 | 47.8 | 32.2 | 47.6 | 36.3 | <0.001 |
| Perceived financial status | <0.001 | ||||||
| • Feels financially comfortable/it’s okay | 40.0 [37.3–42.7] | 44.9 | 28.9 | 84.5 | 62.0 | 32.8 | |
| • Has to be careful | 46.0 [43.3–48.7] | 46.1 | 50.1 | 15.5 | 35.4 | 40.5 | |
| • Faces financial difficulties | 14.0 [11.9–16.0] | 9.0 | 21.0 | 0 | 2.6 | 26.7 | |
| b. Work-related characteristics | |||||||
| Type of position | <0.001 | ||||||
| • Permanent night position | 75.8 [73.3–78.2] | 76.1 | 84.7 | 4.9 | 84.1 | 61.2 | |
| • Replacement (“pool”) | 4.3 [3.2–5.4] | 4.4 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 | |
| • Position with day/night alternation | 16.2 [14.1–18.3] | 16.7 | 8.0 | 95.1 | 3.8 | 9 | |
| • New night-shift position during the pandemic | 0.8 [0.3–1.3] | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| • Other | 2.9 [1.7–4.1] | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0 | 12.1 | 26.2 | |
| Hospital department | <0.001 | ||||||
| • Pediatric | 15.1 [13.2–17.1] | 16.9 | 14.7 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 10.5 | |
| • Adults | 61.2 [58.5–63.9] | 66.5 | 60.6 | 46.6 | 23.9 | 25.8 | |
| • Several departments* | 23.7 [21.3–26.0] | 16.6 | 24.7 | 48.5 | 74.7 | 63.7 | |
| Hospital unit | <0.001 | ||||||
| • Surgery | 16.4 [14.3–18.5] | 16.7 | 15.4 | 37.2 | 9.3 | 3.7 | |
| • Geriatrics/Rehabilitation | 8.8 [7.2–10.5] | 6.9 | 14.0 | 0 | 3.3 | 0 | |
| • Internal medicine/Infectiology/Cardiology/Pneumology | 7.3 [6.0–8.6] | 9.1 | 5.8 | 0 | 1.2 | 7.3 | |
| • Neurology/Nephrology/Oncology/Endocrinology | 6.5 [5.2–7.8] | 8.7 | 5.1 | 0 | 2.4 | 0 | |
| • Pediatrics | 15.7 [13.7–17.7] | 17.3 | 15.8 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 10.5 | |
| • Resuscitation | 13.4 [11.7–15.2] | 17.9 | 10.2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 | |
| • Emergency | 7.2 [5.7–8.7] | 6.5 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 7.6 | 11.1 | |
| • Several units* | 24.5 [22.1–27] | 16.9 | 26.5 | 48.5 | 74.7 | 63.7 | |
| Seniority as a night-shift worker —in years | 9.0 (8.5) | 8.4 (8.1) | 9.5 (8.0) | 9.7 (6.1) | 14.3 (10.6) | 7.8 (9.2) | <0.001 |
| Daily duration of work | <0.001 | ||||||
| • 10 hours | 62.1 [59.5–64.8] | 61.3 | 72.7 | 0 | 80.2 | 38.1 | |
| • 12 hours | 34.0 [31.4–36.6] | 36.2 | 25.1 | 96.6 | 8.0 | 29.9 | |
| • other | 3.9 [2.6–5.2] | 2.5 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 11.8 | 32.0 | |
| Part-time work | 5.2 [4.0–6.4] | 5.7 | 4.3 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 3.2 | 0.466 |
| Travel time to work (home-work one-way commute)— in minutes | 42 (36) | 42 (24) | 48 (36) | 48 (54) | 36 (24) | 48 (24) | 0.035 |
| c. Health-related characteristics | |||||||
| Perceived health | 0.019 | ||||||
| • Bad or very bad | 8.3 [6.7–9.9] | 8.5 | 7.4 | 4.9 | 7.7 | 17.4 | |
| • Fair | 40.5 [37.7–43.2] | 40.2 | 41.8 | 25.1 | 40.9 | 47.0 | |
| • Good or excellent | 51.3 [48.5–54] | 51.3 | 50.8 | 70.1 | 51.4 | 35.6 | |
| Practice of any physical activity | 54.2 [51.2–57.1] | 52.5 | 53.4 | 85.5 | 39.2 | 52.8 | <0.001 |
| Perception of a change in weight since working at night (309 missing values) | 68.2 [65.3–71.1] | 68.1 | 69.8 | 45.0 | 68.1 | 70.6 | 0.251 |
| History of cancer | 3.8 [2.6–5.1] | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 12.5 | 0.026 |
| History of psychiatric troubles (depression, bipolar disorders, etc.) | 5.3 [3.9–6.7] | 4.1 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 10.9 | 17.6 | 0.001 |
| History of sexual or moral harassment at work | 20.9 [18.5–23.4] | 20.6 | 21.7 | 12.1 | 39.6 | 23.3 | 0.323 |
| History of SARS-CoV-2 infection | 0.014 | ||||||
| • No | 58.7 [56.0–61.4] | 60.0 | 60.3 | 43.3 | 59.2 | 44.2 | |
| • Yes | 13.6 [11.7–15.5] | 14.1 | 13.3 | 9.6 | 14.0 | 14.5 | |
| • Did not answer | 27.7 [25.2–30.2] | 25.9 | 26.4 | 47.1 | 26.8 | 41.3 | |
| d. Work-related perceptions | |||||||
| Night-shift work is often or always under-estimated by colleagues working during the day2 | 64.7 [62.0–67.4] | 67.1 | 69.6 | 28.0 | 73.6 | 29.9 | <0.001 |
| Night-shift work is often or always under-estimated by loved ones2,3 | 21.9 [19.6–24.2] | 24.3 | 17.6 | 36.8 | 14.0 | 17.4 | 0.003 |
| Night-shift work is often or always under-estimated by patients 2 | 18.3 [16.2–20.4] | 20.2 | 16.9 | 12.2 | 18.2 | 13.6 | 0.322 |
| Day missions are more important than night missions4 | 24.0 [21.7–26.3] | 23.9 | 25.2 | 12.7 | 17.0 | 27.6 | 0.271 |
| Day workload is higher than night workload 4 | 38.5 [35.8–41.2] | 42.7 | 33.7 | 18.7 | 17.7 | 52.8 | <0.001 |
| Work rhythm is a source of tension with partner or children (30.9% in the “not concerned” category) | 47.2 [43.1–51.3] | 56.8 | 33.1 | 79.5 | 32.2 | 54.0 | <0.001 |
| Work rhythm is a source of tension with friends | 20.1 [17.9–22.4] | 24.3 | 11.6 | 34.4 | 27.0 | 28.4 | <0.001 |
| Feels more irritable since works at night | 43.6 [40.7–46.5] | 48.7 | 33.6 | 72.8 | 30.1 | 40.3 | <0.001 |
| e. Changes in work organization since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||
| No change at all | 36.8 [34.1–39.5] | 32.5 | 42.8 | 25.4 | 23.2 | 49.8 | <0.001 |
| Change of department | 25.8 [23.5–28.2] | 27.8 | 27.3 | 2.8 | 14.3 | 14.0 | <0.001 |
| Change of ward (part of department) | 29.8 [27.3–32.2] | 33.2 | 31.1 | 0 | 13.6 | 10.8 | <0.001 |
| Increase of the no. of working hours | 37.2 [34.6–39.9] | 39.3 | 29.0 | 71.8 | 65.5 | 45.5 | <0.001 |
| Switch to night-shift work | 5.2 [3.9–6.6] | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 15.9 | 0.005 |
| Change of activity to manage COVID patients | 19.0 [16.9–21.1] | 23.7 | 15.2 | 14.4 | 8.1 | 3.9 | <0.001 |
| f. COVID-related items | |||||||
| Satisfied of the information on COVID received from the employer 5 | 31.5 [29.0–34.0] | 30.2 | 32.2 | 34.1 | 54.1 | 34.5 | 0.440 |
| Feels vulnerable to COVID-19 because of professional activity 6 | 77.8 [75.3–80.3] | 80.4 | 73.7 | 89.4 | 63.0 | 72.9 | 0.015 |
| Fears to get the COVID-19 at work | 65.5 [62.7–68.3] | 64.2 | 67.0 | 73.7 | 44.3 | 65.0 | 0.368 |
| Fears to transmit the COVID-19 to close relatives | 90.6 [88.9–92.4] | 90.4 | 90.5 | 96.5 | 79.3 | 91.3 | 0.477 |
| Has received psychological support from close relatives during the previous two weeks | 7.0 [5.4–8.5] | 7.6 | 7.4 | 0 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 0.286 |
| Has received psychological support from a professional during the previous two weeks | 8.4 [6.7–10.1] | 8.4 | 9.6 | 0 | 3.3 | 8.1 | 0.236 |
| Felt valued by the general population as a NSHW during the pandemic | 62.9 [60.1–65.8] | 65.0 | 59.2 | 76.9 | 63.0 | 55.8 | 0.067 |
| Is confident in the health authorities to manage the crisis 6 | 19.6 [17.3–22.0] | 18.6 | 20.4 | 23.1 | 43.1 | 17.7 | 0.346 |
| Faced difficulties in applying protective measures against COVID 6 | 59.7 [56.8–62.6] | 59.2 | 58.9 | 69.1 | 44.9 | 65.9 | 0.454 |
| Considers protective measures inadequate6 | 27.6 [24.9–30.2] | 27.6 | 28.5 | 23.6 | 10.9 | 25.7 | 0.727 |
| Faced difficulties in getting screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection6 | 58.4 [55.5–61.4] | 57.8 | 62.3 | 56.9 | 37.3 | 38.8 | 0.013 |
CI = confidence interval; NSHW = night-shift healthcare workers; SD = standard deviation.
♦ For the purpose of readability of the table, 95% confidence intervals are only presented for the characteristics of the whole study population.
* Concerns healthcare workers assigned to different departments or units.
1 Comparison of characteristics between the five professional categories of NSHW (Chi-square tests for categorical variables, Wald test for continuous variables).
2 The other possible answers to this item of the questionnaire included “never”, “rarely”, and “from time to time”.
3 Loved ones included partner, family, and friends.
4 “I totally agree” or “I agree” (versus “I totally disagree” or “I disagree”).
5 “The information on protective measures against COVID that I received from my employer were sufficient and complete.”
6 “I totally agree” or “I agree” (versus “I totally disagree”, “I disagree”, or “no interest”).