Latent profiles of night eating symptoms among nursing staff and their associations with toxic leadership behaviors and career resilience

Night eating symptoms may be particularly relevant among nurses because of irregular work schedules and occupational stress, yet their heterogeneous patterns and associations with psychosocial work factors remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of night eating symptoms among nurses and examine their associations with toxic leadership behaviors, career resilience, and sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,343 nurses from six hospitals in China.

Night eating symptoms, perceived toxic leadership behaviors, and career resilience were assessed using the Night Eating Questionnaire, the Toxic Leadership Behaviors of Nurse Managers Scale, and the Career Resilience Scale, respectively. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct patterns of night eating symptoms. Univariate and multivariable multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with latent profile membership.

Three latent profiles were identified: Low-Symptom (48.1%), Appetite/Sleep-Disturbed (35.3%), and Nocturnal-Ingestion (16.6%). In the multivariable analysis, higher toxic leadership behavior scores were associated with greater odds of membership in both the Appetite/Sleep-Disturbed (OR = 1.033, 95% CI: 1.023–1.043) and Nocturnal-Ingestion profiles (OR = 1.025, 95%CI: 1.013–1.037). Higher career resilience was associated with lower odds of membership in the Nocturnal-Ingestion profile (OR = 0.811, 95% CI: 0.776–0.848).

Age, number of children, nursing experience, clinical department, and average monthly night shifts were also associated with profile membership. Distinct profiles highlight substantial heterogeneity in night eating symptoms among nurses. Considering both organizational and individual factors may provide a more nuanced understanding of these symptoms and inform future occupational health research.

The authors thank the nurses who participated in the study. This research was supported by the Hunan Provincial Health Research Project (Grant No. 20257254) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (Grant No. 2026JJ60565). Department of Nursing, Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China Hang Liu, Liwen Guo, Chun Xiao, Jingfeng Zhou & Zhouning Li Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China The authors declare no competing interests.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Cancer Hospital (Approval No.: 2025-Simple-Review-166). The research was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants were given informed consent and informed of the purpose and procedures of the study.