Perceived Sleep Quality as a Mediator Between Occupational Stress and Depression: The Moderating Role of Work Engagement.

Abstract

Background: There is growing interest in the role of sleep-related factors, particularly perceived sleep quality, in the relationship between occupational stress and depression. Work engagement has been proposed as a potential protective factor against depression. This study aimed to examine the relationships among occupational stress, perceived sleep quality, and depression, as well as the role of work engagement in these relationships.

Methods: A total of 2,425 Korean employees participated in this study. The participants completed a series of questionnaires, including the Korean Occupational Stress Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a single-item measure of perceived sleep quality, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9. The mediating and moderating effects were analysed using the PROCESS macro in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Results: Perceived sleep quality mediated the association between occupational stress and depressive symptoms (b = 0.051; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.040-0.062). Work engagement moderated the effects of both occupational stress and perceived sleep quality on depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: This study highlights the role of perceived sleep quality and work engagement as mediators and moderators of occupational stress and depressive symptoms, respectively. Improving perceived sleep quality and promoting work engagement may help reduce the risk of depression among employees experiencing occupational stress.