Level of Optimism as a Moderator in the  Relationship between Stress and Sleep

Research findings on the interrelationships between stress and sleep, stress and optimism, optimism and sleep have been found in the literature. However, a possible relationship between all three of these variables together remains unstudied. Understanding this relationship and whether these relationships are interdependent, may provide new prevention and intervention opportunities for sleep- or stress-related health problems. The current study aimed to investigate whether the relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality depends on the level of optimism. The study employed a quantitative and quasi experimental design, with data collected cross-sectionally via online self-report questionnaires. The Life Orientation Test Revised was administered to measure the level of optimism, the Perceived Stress Scale was administered to measure the level of stress, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was administered to assess sleep quality. To examine the hypothesis that the level...Show moreResearch findings on the interrelationships between stress and sleep, stress and optimism, optimism and sleep have been found in the literature. However, a possible relationship between all three of these variables together remains unstudied. Understanding this relationship and whether these relationships are interdependent, may provide new prevention and intervention opportunities for sleep- or stress-related health problems. The current study aimed to investigate whether the relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality depends on the level of optimism. The study employed a quantitative and quasi experimental design, with data collected cross-sectionally via online self-report questionnaires. The Life Orientation Test Revised was administered to measure the level of optimism, the Perceived Stress Scale was administered to measure the level of stress, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was administered to assess sleep quality. To examine the hypothesis that the level of optimism will moderate the relationship between level of perceived stress and sleep quality, a moderated hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was conducted on data from 250 respondents. The results revealed that the level of perceived stress was able to predict sleep quality (b = .14, p < .001), but the level of optimism failed to predict sleep quality (b = -.05, p > .05) and no evidence was found for the moderating role of optimism in the relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality (b = .002, p > .05). It is possible that the baseline sleep quality was not poor enough, and there were not enough people with low levels of optimism to detect whether the level of optimism could interfere with the relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality. However, the role of optimism within this relationship can be studied more in the future, with better-informed research designs.Show less

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Level of Optimism as a Moderator in the Relationship between Stress and Sleep