The effects of attentional bias and executive dysfunction on sleep characteristics of healthy adults during COVID-19 pandemic

The current study was aimed to fill the gap arising from the absence of a study in the literature exploring the relationship between sleep quality, executive functions, and attentional bias during COVID-19 pandemic in healthy adult subjects. Moreover, the mediating effects of disinhibition and COVID-19 anxiety in the relationship between attentional bias and poor sleep quality were tested by mediation analysis. 102 healthy adults between the ages of 18-40 participated in the study voluntarily. Participants in the study were evaluated by Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI- 53), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42), COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS), Visual Dot- Probe Task, Task Switching Paradigm and Go/No go Task. The findings indicated that the association of attentional bias with sleep quality was mediated by Covid-19 anxiety and disinhibition. While it was found that the sleep characteristics scores of the participants differed according to their depression, anxiety, and stress scores, it was concluded that cognitive flexibility was not associated with sleep characteristics and psychological distress scores. Additionally, COVID-19 anxiety has been associated with attentional bias. Finally, the findings obtained from the current study were evaluated in the light of the previous literature and suggestions were made for future studies.