Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between sleep quality and mental health among medical staff in township health centers. METHODS: From September 1 to September 20, 2024, stratified random cluster sampling was used to select healthcare workers from township health centers in five districts and three counties of Lanzhou City. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were employed to measure sleep quality, mental health, and social support levels. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among these factors. RESULTS: (1) The majority of participants were female, of Han ethnicity, and nurses. Educational attainment was primarily at the junior college and bachelor's degree levels, with working years concentrated in the middle-aged and young backbone stage, showing a trend of high in the middle and low at both ends. The detection rate of sleep disorders was 55.70%, the SCL-90 positive rate was 45.50%, and the level of social support was moderate. (2) The total PSQI score was positively correlated with the total SCL-90 score (r = 0.602, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with the total SSRS score (r = -0.272, p < 0.001). The total SSRS score was negatively correlated with the total SCL-90 score (r = -0.305, p < 0.001). (3) Sleep quality had a significant direct effect on mental health (direct effect proportion: 92.64, 95% CI: 6.194-8.722). Social support showed a significant partial mediating effect between sleep quality and mental health (indirect effect proportion: 7.36, 95% CI: 1.176-1.323). CONCLUSION: Social support plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between sleep quality and mental health among medical staff in township health centers.