Self-regulatory fatigue statistically partially mediated the relationship between emotional labor and sleep-related worry among pediatric nurses, accounting for 26.9% of the total effect.
Emotional labor showed a significant positive correlation with sleep-related worry among pediatric nurses.
Emotional labor showed a significant positive correlation with self-regulatory fatigue among pediatric nurses.
Self-regulatory fatigue was significantly positively correlated with sleep-related worry.
Self-regulatory fatigue partially mediated the relationship between emotional labor and sleep-related worry, accounting for 26.9% of the total effect.
Pediatric nurses were identified as a high-risk group for emotional labor due to their interactions with children who have difficulty expressing themselves and with anxious families.
This research suggests that pediatric nurses — who must regularly manage their emotional expressions while caring for young patients and their worried families — are at heightened risk for sleep-related worry. The study surveyed 604 pediatric nurses across multiple hospitals in China and found that the more emotional labor nurses performed, the more likely they were to experience worry about sleep. This relationship was not only direct but also worked through a psychological mechanism called self-regulatory fatigue, which refers to the mental exhaustion that comes from constantly controlling one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The study found that emotional labor depleted nurses' self-regulatory resources, and this fatigue in turn contributed to sleep-related worry. This 'indirect path' through self-regulatory fatigue accounted for about 27% of the total relationship between emotional labor and sleep-related worry. In other words, part of why emotionally demanding work leads to sleep problems may be because it wears down the mental energy people need to manage stress and calm their minds before bed. This research suggests that interventions targeting both the emotional demands placed on pediatric nurses and strategies to reduce or recover from self-regulatory fatigue could be important for improving nurses' sleep health and overall well-being. Recognizing that the psychological toll of emotional labor extends beyond the workday into nurses' nighttime rest has practical implications for hospital management policies, workplace support programs, and nurse wellness initiatives.
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Upload Your LabsLiu Y, Zhao X. (2026). The impact of emotional labor on sleep-related worry among pediatric nurses in Chinese public hospitals: the mediating role of self-regulatory fatigue.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1837829