The relationship between oral health, psychological emotions and sleep disorders among migrant elderly people - an empirical study based on questionnaire survey

With the advancement of China’s population aging and urbanization, the physical and mental health problems of the migrant elderly have become increasingly prominent due to changes in living environment and weakening of social support networks. This study aimed to explore the interactive relationship between oral health, psychological emotions and sleep disorders among migrant elderly people in Jinan, China. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and 562 migrant elderly people who met the criteria were selected as the research subjects in Jinan City, China in June 2024. Sociodemographic characteristics were collected through household questionnaires. The Oral Health Assessment Index for the Elderly (GOHAI) was used to evaluate the oral health status of the migrant elderly people. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to evaluate the negative psychological emotions of the migrant elderly people. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep quality of the migrant elderly people. Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to further analyze the interactive relationship between oral health, psychological emotions and sleep disorders. The average scores of GOHAI, DASS-21 and PSQI were 53.23 ± 5.31, 7.80 ± 3.21 and 4.49 ± 2.56 respectively, and there were significant differences between urban and rural areas (P < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between oral health, sleep disorders and negative psychological emotions, and a significant positive correlation between sleep disorders and negative psychological emotions (P < 0.05). The results of the structural equation model show that the original mediation model (oral health → sleep disorder → negative psychological emotions) meets the standard (χ²/df = 2.914, RMSEA = 0.055, CFI = 0.951). After controlling for sleep disorder variables and key covariates such as age, gender, education level, and chronic diseases, and corrected by clustered robust standard errors, the indirect association effect between oral health and negative psychological emotions (with sleep disorder as the intermediate variable) The value is -0.12, Boot95%CI is (-0.198,-0.070), P < 0.001, this indirect association accounts for 34.29% of the total association; reverse mediation model (negative psychological emotions → sleep Obstacle → oral health) the fitting did not meet the standard (χ²/df = 3.527, RMSEA = 0.098, CFI = 0.869), and the indirect effect was not significant (P = 0.257), indicating that the original model was robust. Conclusion There is a negative correlation between the oral health and negative psychological and emotional levels of the migrant elderly, and this correlation may be indirectly related through sleep disorders. There is a significant correlation between the three. The research suggests that multi-dimensional intervention ideas can be adopted, including paying attention to oral health, optimizing sleep quality, etc., to provide a reference for improving the mental health of the migrant elderly and provide a scientific basis for health management.