Adult attachment, sleep hygiene and sleep quality: a cross-sectional mediation analysis.

Abstract

Insecure attachment dimensions have been associated with poorer sleep quality and less health-promoting behaviours, but the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully understood. This study examined whether sleep hygiene mediates the relationship between adult attachment dimensions and sleep quality. Adult participants were recruited via an online opportunity sample and completed measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance, sleep hygiene, and sleep quality, along with demographic and psychological covariates. Multiple regression and mediation analyses were conducted to test whether attachment dimensions predicted sleep hygiene and sleep quality, and whether sleep hygiene partially accounted for these associations while statistically controlling for sex, age, anxious and depressed mood, and fatigue. Higher scores on both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with poorer sleep hygiene and poorer sleep quality. Sleep hygiene partially mediated the relationships between both insecure attachment dimensions and sleep quality, suggesting that attachment-related differences may influence everyday sleep-related behaviours, which in turn are linked to sleep outcomes. Future research should evaluate whether incorporating attachment-based strategies into sleep hygiene and sleep interventions can enhance their effectiveness.