The Roles of Stress, Sleep, and Fatigue on Depression in People with Visual Impairments

The study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of fatigue and the moderating effect of sleep quality on stress and depressive symptoms among people with visual impairments. A total of 155 participants completed the online survey. The Perceived Stress Scale, the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Inventory (CES-D), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used. Descriptive analysis, correlations, and moderated mediation modelling were conducted using R software. From the mediator variable (FSI) model (F = 22.427, R² = 56.5, p <.001) and the dependent variable (CES-D) model (F = 35.912, R² = 70.5, p <.001), after controlling for age, sex, employment, and education, sleep quality positively predicted fatigue levels (β = 2.422, p =.009), and fatigue positively predicted depressive symptoms (β =.152, p <.001). Sleep quality is an essential component of psychological well-being in people with visual impairments.