Sleep quality as a potential mediator between psychological distress and diabetes quality of life in veterans with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore sleep quality as a potential mediator between depression symptoms and diabetes quality of life (DQOL), and anxiety symptoms and DQOL.

Method: Participants were 83 male and 3 female veterans with type 2 diabetes (Mage = 62.4). Self-report measures were completed during the baseline assessment of a larger intervention study conducted at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

Results: Depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality were all associated with DQOL. Additionally, sleep quality had a partial indirect effect on the relationships between depression symptoms and DQOL, and between anxiety symptoms and DQOL.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that sleep quality may have an important role in the way that psychological distress affects diabetes quality of life.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; diabetes; quality of life; sleep quality.