AUTHOR=Zhu Yihong , Meng Runtang , Jiang Chen , Yang Nongnong , Huang Mengyi , Wang Xiaowen , Zou Wenjing , Lou Chen , Xiao Ruohan , Lu Jingjing , Xu Jiale , Jiménez-Correa Ulises , Ma Haiyan , Spruyt Karen , Dzierzewski Joseph M. TITLE=Sleep quality and subjective well-being in healthcare students: examining the role of anxiety and depression JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=11 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281571 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281571 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Objective

Sleep issues, negative emotions, and health conditions are commonly co-occurring, whereas their associations among healthcare students have yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to examine whether anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between sleep quality and subjective well-being in healthcare students.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Chinese healthcare students (N = 348). A battery of paper-and-pencil questionnaires—the Sleep Quality Questionnaire (SQQ), World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) were applied. Descriptive analysis with means (standard deviations) and counts (proportions), Spearman correlation analysis between the SQQ, WHO-5, and PHQ-4, and mediation analysis via structural equation models were performed.

Results

Correlation analysis revealed statistically significant associations between sleep quality, anxiety and depression, and well-being among healthcare students. Mediation analysis identified that poor sleep quality produced relatively low levels of self-reported well-being, which were entirely attributable to anxiety and depression.

Conclusion

Sleep quality was associated with subjective well-being, and this interrelationship was fully mediated by anxiety and depression. Interventions aimed at promoting sleep quality of healthcare students may contribute to promoting their well-being by reducing anxiety and depression.