Intergenerational Relationships and Sleep Quality Among Empty Nesters in Urban and Rural China: The Mediating Role of Loneliness

Aim Poor sleep quality is a major risk factor for the physical and mental health of empty nesters. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of loneliness in the association between intergenerational relationships and sleep quality among empty nesters, and to compare the urban–rural differences in this mediating pathway. Methods Face‐to‐face questionnaire‐based surveys were conducted with 1763 empty nesters (with 812 urban participants and 951 rural participants) aged 60 and above in China. Participants were assessed using the Intergenerational Relationship Quality Scale for Aging Chinese Parents, the University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results Intergenerational relationship quality, affectual closeness, and intergenerational conflict have direct effects on sleep quality in both groups, with loneliness partially mediating these associations, and rural participants exhibited stronger mediation effects for intergenerational relationship quality and intergenerational conflict. Structural‐associational solidarity showed no direct effects on sleep quality but was fully mediated by loneliness, with rural participants exhibiting stronger indirect pathways. Consensual‐normative solidarity showed no direct effects on sleep quality but was fully mediated by loneliness only in the rural group. Conclusion Intergenerational relationships can directly affect sleep quality and indirectly affect it through loneliness, with some stronger mediating pathways for rural empty nesters. Our findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of overall mental and physical health among empty nesters for both research and policy.