Sleep Quality and Mental Health among Asymptomatic COVID-19 Carriers from Fangcang Shelter Hospitals：The Moderating Role of Social Support

Abstract

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly occurred in Shanghai, China at the end of February 2022, which was not only attacking physical health, such as sleep problems, but also exacerbating mental health. This study aimed to determine the association between sleep quality and psychological distress in COVID-19 carriers in China and evaluate the moderating effects of perceived social support. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1283 asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers from Ruijin Jiahe Fangcang shelter hospitals in Shanghai, China. Participants had an average age of 39.64 years (SD = 11.14) and 59.6% of whom were male. They were assessed using the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) respectively. The Model Templates for PROCESS were used to examine the moderating effects of participants’ social support on the association. Results In total, 34.3% of participants presented with poor sleep quality (PSQI༞5); In addition, 41.1% patients showed bad mental health (GHQ༞3). Sleep quality was positively related to mental health (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) and social support (r = 0.08, p = 0.003). Social support was negatively related to mental health (r = -0.43, p < 0.001). Social support negatively moderated the association between sleep quality and mental health (β = 0.069, p < 0.01). Conclusions Social support may be beneficial to the improvement of mental health, especially for people in crisis (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic).