Social support and sleep quality in patients with stroke: The mediating roles of depression and anxiety symptoms

Background Research has demonstrated that higher social support is associated with better psychological health, quality of life, cognition, activities of daily living and social participation, but the relationship between social support and sleep quality remains unknown. Aims This study aimed to assess the incidence of poor sleep quality, clarify the relationship between social support and sleep quality amongst stroke patients and determine whether anxiety and depression symptoms mediate this relationship. Methods We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional study involving 238 patients with stroke (median age of 61 [range 29-87] years, 68.1% male) recruited from a comprehensive tertiary care hospital between September 2019 and January 2020. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used for the survey. The mediating effect of anxiety and depression symptoms was assessed using the bootstrap method via Model 4 (parallel mediation) of the SPSS PROCESS macro. Results Results showed that the incidence of poor sleep quality amongst stroke patients was 65%. Mediation analysis showed that social support exerted significant direct effects on sleep quality, and anxiety and depression symptoms mediated the relationship between social support and sleep quality. Conclusion Measures should be taken to enhance social support to improve the sleep quality of stroke patients. Summary statement What is already known about this topic? Patients with stroke have a high rate of sleep disorders, anxiety and depression symptoms. Anxiety and depression symptoms have a negative effect on sleep quality. Social support may be an effective intervention to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms and improve sleep quality amongst stroke patients. What this paper adds? The incidence of poor sleep was high amongst stroke patients. Social support had a direct positive effect on sleep quality. Anxiety and depression symptoms played multiple mediating roles in the relationship between social support and sleep quality. The implications of this paper: Our study adds to the existing literature by clarifying how social support impacts the sleep quality of stroke patients. We suggested improving the sleep quality of stroke patients through enhancing social support and reducing anxiety and depression symptoms, especially in patients with low levels of social support.