Pain, post-traumatic stress, and sleep disturbance in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: a path analysis of the mediating effect of depression and social support

Nearly half of the community-dwelling older adults with KOA suffer from poor sleep quality, underscoring a significant health burden. The risk is driven by a complex web of factors, not limited to pain. Our findings highlight that depressive symptoms and social support are critical mediators in the relationship between pain, trauma, and sleep. This suggests that effective management of sleep disturbances in this population necessitates a holistic, integrated approach that combines pain control with routine screening and management of psychological distress and reinforcement of social support systems.