The mediating role of dispositional optimism in the relationship between athletes’ quality of sleep and mental energy relationship: A cross-sectional study

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Bin-Bin Fang ^*, Frank J. H. Lu ^**, Garry Kuan ^***, Jiarun Wu ^***, Diane L. Gill ^**** and Mu-Cai Su ^*/*****

^(*) Quanzhou Normal University, China
^(**) Chinese Culture University, Taiwan
^(***) Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
^(****) University of North Carolina at Greensboro, U.S.A
^(*****) Fujian Normal University, China

Citation

Fang, B., J. H. Lu, F., Kuan, G., Wu, J., L. Gill, D., Su, M. (2025). The mediating role of dispositional optimism in the relationship between athletes’ quality of sleep and mental energy relationship: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 56(3), 201-217. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2025.56.201

Abstract

Although extant literature indicates that sufficient sleep links to many positive consequences, its association with athletes’ mental energy has never been examined. This study aimed to examine the triangular relationships among athletes’ quality of sleep, mental energy, and optimism; and explore the mediating role of optimism. We administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Life Orientation Test-Revised, and the Athletic Mental Energy Scale to 316 elite and sub-elite student-athletes engaged in diverse sports. Bivariate correlation analyses found that athletes’ quality of sleep, mental energy, and optimism all correlated with each other. Further, multiple hierarchical regressions found that optimism partially mediated the relationship between quality of sleep and mental energy. The preliminary findings advance our understanding of the influence of the quality of sleep on athletes’ mental energy, and the role of optimism. We suggest offering sleep management programs for athletes not only to promote health but also enhance performance and mental energy.

Keywords: Positive psychology, Psychology of sport excellence, Psychological well-being, Youth athletes

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