Sleep as a mediator between psychological distress and quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease

• Main Author: Lee, Michelle Shu Hui
• Other Authors: Shen Biing-Jiun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/63149
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Previous studies have consistently found strong relationships among psychological distress, sleep quality and quality of life. However, the nature of these associations remains ambiguous and poorly understood in heart patients. The main objective of this study was to examine the potential mediating role that subjective sleep quality might have on the relationship between psychological distress (i.e. depressive symptoms and anxiety) and quality of life. Specific domains of quality of life (i.e. physical, emotional and social) were also examined. The secondary aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary test of the Fitbit Flex activity tracker which measures sleep efficiency. Participants were 82 cardiac patients (70 men, 12 women, mean age 63.73 years) attending a community-based cardiac rehabilitation program at the Singapore Heart Foundation, Heart Wellness Centre. A subset of 25 patients also wore the Fitbit Flex activity tracker for 7 days. Findings from the study suggest that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between psychological distress (i.e. depressive symptoms and anxiety), and quality of life. Further analyses revealed that this mediating relationship was present only for physical quality of life, but not emotional or social quality of life. Sleep efficiency, as measured by the Fitbit Flex, was found to be unrelated to subjective measures of sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Findings from the current study suggest that addressing sleep disturbances in cardiac patients could help mitigate the adverse impact that psychological distress has on overall quality of life, especially physical quality of life.