{
  "abstract": "Introduction Shiftwork can negatively affect individuals’ sleep habits, health and behaviour. However, previous explorations of shiftwork lack consensus in their categorisation of shifts, making it challenging to understand how aspects of shiftwork affect sleep habits. To explore whether the distinct states of sleep and fatigue are affected by different aspects of shiftwork, we asked shift workers from a large nationwide organisation about their sleep and fatigue experience, as well as their recently worked shift patterns.Methods Using a cross-sectional online survey, we asked 2740 shift workers (1185 = Female, Mean Age = 39.78±10.41) about their recent shift timings, as well as using validated self-report scales to assess their sleep habits and fatigue levels. Shift work was then characterised as measures of exposure, shift durations, frequency of night-shifts, rest opportunities, start time, and direction of shift rotations.Results Hierarchical regressions explored the extent to which shift work metrics predicted sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, general sleep disturbances, and expected situational fatigue, beyond simple demographic predictors of age and sex. The three sleep measures were not all predicted by the same aspects of shiftwork. Fatigue, though predicted by age and sex, appeared overall unaffected by different aspects of shiftwork.Discussion Shift workers’ sleep habits are sensitive to different aspects of shiftwork, whereas fatigue appeared unaffected by the shiftwork aspects explored here. Previous characterisations of shift work risk oversimplifying a complex concept. Given the present findings, such oversimplifications may obscure important relationships between shift work and occupational health and safety outcomes. Understanding which aspects of shift work underlie specific risks to health and safety allows for targeted interventions of said risks to be implemented. Those developing interventions must therefore make careful consideration of which aspects of shift work affect individuals and consider shift work as the multifaceted concept it is.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom",
        "SleepiEst’- Road Safety Trust funded research project"
      ],
      "name": "Peter Goodwin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom",
        "SleepiEst’- Road Safety Trust funded research project"
      ],
      "name": "Fran Pilkington-Cheney"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "SleepiEst’- Road Safety Trust funded research project"
      ],
      "name": "Yvonne Taylor"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom",
        "SleepiEst’- Road Safety Trust funded research project"
      ],
      "name": "John A Groeger"
    }
  ],
  "title": "O9 Characteristics of shift work: effects on sleep and fatigue",
  "uid": "43ff3b9a-d730-5641-9363-050e4703d3e0"
}