Psychological resilience as a mediator between sleep quality and mental well-being in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent sleep disorder associated with impaired sleep quality and adverse psychological outcomes. The potential mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between sleep quality and mental well-being in OSAS remains unclear. This study investigated whether psychological resilience mediates the relationship between sleep quality and mental well-being in patients with newly diagnosed OSAS. A total of 301 patients with newly diagnosed OSAS and 104 age-matched healthy controls were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Group differences were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA. Mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate the indirect effect of sleep quality on mental well-being through psychological resilience. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 21.0 software. Poor sleep quality was significantly more common among females, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, single participants, and those with higher education levels. Sleep quality was negatively correlated with psychological resilience (r = − 0.58) and mental well-being (r = − 0.43). Mediation analysis revealed that psychological resilience significantly mediated the relationship between sleep quality and mental well-being (β = − 0.26, 95% CI: − 0.33 to − 0.19, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that psychological resilience plays an important role in the link between poor sleep quality and diminished mental well-being in individuals with OSAS. Interventions aimed at enhancing resilience may offer psychological benefits in managing this population.