Fatigue-Related Factors and Perceived Team Functioning in US Navy Surface Forces

Abstract

Operational environments such as naval vessels demand sustained coordination and precision under conditions that test both physical and psychological endurance. This study examined associations among fatigue-related factors, perceived social support, occupational context, and perceived team functioning among 26,438 active-duty US Navy personnel. Measures included self-reported sleep needed, sleep opportunity, and sleep obtained, which were used to calculate sleep deficit and sleep opportunity conversion, along with self-reported sleep disturbance, fatigue impairment (FI), perceived social support, and perceived team processes. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that FI was strongly associated with lower perceived team functioning (β = -0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.37 to -0.33; P < .001). Social support was positively associated with perceived team functioning (β = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.33; P < .001) and statistically attenuated the negative association between FI and perceived team functioning (β = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.09; P < .001). Quadratic analyses indicated that associations between fatigue-related factors and perceived team functioning were stronger at moderate-to-high levels of FI and calculated sleep deficit. Occupational Rate accounted for additional contextual variance, with mechanical and deck Rates reporting higher FI and lower perceived team functioning than administrative or medical Rates. As all constructs were assessed using cross-sectional, single-source self-report data, findings should be interpreted as correlational associations with perceived team processes rather than objective performance effects or causal impacts of insufficient sleep.