BMC Nurs. 2026 May 7. doi: 10.1186/s12912-026-04705-w. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Self-regulatory fatigue is an emerging concern within nursing education, with implications for professional competence, emotional resilience, and long-term career development. To assess the level of self-regulatory fatigue among nursing interns and explore its related influencing factors.
METHODS: A total of 340 nursing interns participated in this survey. Data were collected from March to December 2024 using an online survey comprising a general information questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Adolescent Mental Health Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (AMHLAQ), and the Psychological Detachment Scale. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: Perceived stress (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), mental health literacy (β = -0.13, p = 0.008), psychological detachment (β = -0.10, p = 0.025), academic performance (β = 0.15, p < 0.001), length of clinical placement (β = -0.11, p = 0.016) and left-behind experience (β = -0.10, p = 0.032) were significant predictors of self-regulatory fatigue. The model explained 39.1% of the variance in self-regulatory fatigue.
CONCLUSIONS: Nursing interns showed a moderate level of self-regulatory fatigue. Three psychological factors, namely, perceived stress, mental health literacy, and psychological detachment, along with academic performance, clinical placement duration, and left-behind experience, were significantly associated factors of self-regulatory fatigue. These findings suggest that targeted strategies should be developed to mitigate interns’ fatigue and promote their holistic health.
PMID:42098828 | DOI:10.1186/s12912-026-04705-w
