Does mood mediate the relationship between sleep  and short-term suicidal ideation? A case study

Research so far has shown that sleep is associated with and can predict suicidal ideation. One potential mediating variable in this relationship is mood, while studies have shown that mood is associated with both sleep and suicidal ideation. However, there is no known study so far on this topic. Therefore, the present single-case study aims at testing the mediation effect of mood on the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation using the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method. Both subjective and objective sleep quality measures were included. The study lasted 21 days, and the participant had to complete a short online questionnaire four times per day, administered on their phone. The questionnaire collected self-reported data on subjective sleep quality, mood, and suicidal ideation. Objective sleep quality was assessed using an actiwatch positioned on the participant's hand. Our hypotheses were that both objective and subjective poor sleep quality would lead...Show moreResearch so far has shown that sleep is associated with and can predict suicidal ideation. One potential mediating variable in this relationship is mood, while studies have shown that mood is associated with both sleep and suicidal ideation. However, there is no known study so far on this topic. Therefore, the present single-case study aims at testing the mediation effect of mood on the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation using the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method. Both subjective and objective sleep quality measures were included. The study lasted 21 days, and the participant had to complete a short online questionnaire four times per day, administered on their phone. The questionnaire collected self-reported data on subjective sleep quality, mood, and suicidal ideation. Objective sleep quality was assessed using an actiwatch positioned on the participant's hand. Our hypotheses were that both objective and subjective poor sleep quality would lead to a subsequent decrease in positive mood over the day, which, in turn, would be associated with short-term (daily) increases in suicidal ideation. Two first-order autoregressive (AR[1]) multilevel models were developed, testing for each of the two sleep parameters separately. Statistical analyses revealed non-significant effects of both subjective and objective sleep quality on mood and suicidal ideation. However, results showed a significant effect of mood on suicidal ideation. This finding supports the importance of mood associations with suicidal ideation. We suggest that future research further explores the mediation effect of mood on the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation using larger samples and broader-item sleep scales.Show less

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Does mood mediate the relationship between sleep and short-term suicidal ideation? A case study