The relationship between social relationships and sleep quality in older adults: Loneliness as a mediator and cognitive status as a moderator.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the complex relationships among social support, social strain, loneliness, cognitive status, and sleep quality in adults aged 51 and above. It aims to explore loneliness as a mediator between social support, social strain, and sleep quality and to examine if, and how, the mediating effect differs by cognitive status.

METHODS: Eight years of data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study were analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model. Moderated mediation analyses examined loneliness's mediating effect and cognitive status's moderating influence on the associations among social support, social strain, and sleep quality.

RESULTS: Loneliness mediated the relationships between social support, social strain, and sleep quality. Individuals with better cognitive function experienced an increased influence of social support on sleep quality by mitigating loneliness.

CONCLUSION: Considering the moderating role of cognitive status, sleep interventions individualized and tailored to these differences become essential.