Components of Sleep Quality as Mediators of the Relation Between Mindfulness and Subjective Vitality Among Older Adults

• Main Authors: Visser, Preston L., Hirsch, Jameson K., Brown, Kirk W. W., Ryan, Richard, Moynihan, Jan A.
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2015
• Subjects: mindfulness; older adults; primary care; sleep quality; subjective vitality; Psychology; Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Health Psychology; Public Health
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/674; https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0311-5

We examined the potential contribution of sleep quality to the relation between mindfulness and subjective vitality, a marker of physical and psychological energy. Seven components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were investigated as potential mediators of the association between dispositional mindfulness and subjective vitality in our sample of 219 older adults. Mindfulness, sleep quality, and subjective vitality were significantly and positively associated with each other. Sleep quality partially mediated the relation between mindfulness and subjective vitality, with two components responsible for this effect: habitual sleep efficiency and sleep-related problems experienced during the daytime. Implications of the association between mindfulness and subjective vitality in older adults via sleep quality are addressed, including the potential for interventions to improve sleep quality and well-being among older adults by inclusion of mindfulness training.