RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Most of the recent research on nightmare distress and depressive symptoms has focused on adolescents and students, with less research on the nurse population. Emergency department nurses are at high risk for nightmare distress and depressive symptoms, but no studies have been conducted to explore the relationship between the two; thus, further investigation is needed. AIM: To understand the relationship between nightmare distress and depressive symptoms among emergency department nurses in China. METHODS: A convenience sampling method was used to select 280 emergency department nurses from nine provinces, including Jiangxi, Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Shanxi Provinces. The Chinese version of the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were administered. RESULTS: Emergency department nurses' nightmare distress scores were positively associated with depressive symptom scores (r = 0.732), depressed affect (r = 0.727), somatic symptoms (r = 0.737), and interpersonal difficulty (r = 0.647). Further multiple linear regression analyses showed that education level, work pressure, self-reported health, and CES-D scores were factors that influenced nightmare distress among Chinese emergency department nurses (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nightmare distress is closely associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese emergency department nurses, and early intervention is recommended for professionals with this type of sleep disorder to reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms.