The mediating role of sense of coherence and family sense of coherence in the relationship between parental stress and sleep quality on parents with child aged 0-6

The salutogenic approach to health suggests that the general sense of coherence (SOC) and family sense of coherence (FSOC) can determine individuals' stress levels and hence their health status. Considering the parental stress emerging from having a baby or toddler, how people cope with stress could be linked to their SOC and FSOC levels and affect their health status. Since sleep quality is also one of the most important factors for improving physical and mental health during early parenthood, the study aimed to determine whether SOC and/or FSOC mediate the relationship between parental stress and sleep quality. The study was conducted with 695 participants (72.4% female, M=33.9). Data were collected by using the convenient sampling method. Demographic Information Form, Parental Stress Scale, Family Sense of Coherence Scale, Sense of Coherence Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used and analyzed using an SPSS process macro. Parental stress was a strong predictor of sleep quality (ß= .30, p<.000). FSOC (ß= -.21, SE= .02, 95% CI [.02, .05]) and SOC (ß= .02, SE= .01, 95% CI [.00, .04]) had a partial mediation effect. However, in the dual mediating effect model, the mediational effect of SOC was insignificant (ß= -.05, p= .22). Our findings revealed that parental stress was one of the most important factors affecting sleep quality, and the level of FSOC had a more significant effect than those of SOC. Consequently, focusing on improving FSOC may lead to better outcomes in sleep quality interventions in parents with a child aged 0-6.