Chain mediating effect of fatigue, anxiety symptoms on the relationship between perceived stress and insomnia in Chinese researchers

At present, insomnia, fatigue and mental health problems of researchers are increasingly prominent, and they are facing great perceived stress. However, there are relatively few studies on Chinese researchers, and the relationship between them is not clear. This study mainly explores the current status of insomnia and fatigue symptoms of Chinese researchers, and the relationship with perceived stress and anxiety symptoms. A Total of 961 Chinese researchers participated in this nationwide cross-sectional survey. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were used for evaluation. The count data were analyzed by chi-square analysis, the measurement data were analyzed by independent sample t test, and the chain mediation analysis was used to explore the relationship between insomnia, fatigue symptoms, perceived stress and anxiety symptoms. The prevalence of insomnia symptoms was 36.9% and The prevalence of fatigue symptoms was 68.7% among Chinese researchers. The multivariate covariance analysis showed that the scores of anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, and fatigue symptoms of the researchers with insomnia symptoms were higher than those of the researchers without insomnia symptoms (p<0.001). Insomnia and fatigue symptoms were related to lifestyle and exercise. Fatigue and anxiety symptoms played a chain mediating role between perceived stress and insomnia symptoms (Total indirect effect: 0.180(0.146,0.211), Direct effect: 0.036(-.0.001,0.079), Total effect: 0.216(0.190,0.242)). Insomnia and fatigue symptoms are serious among Chinese researchers. We should pay attention to the sleep and mental health problems of researchers, strengthen psychological intervention, and reduce their perceived stress level.