Anxiety Impairs Sleep Quality Through Executive Function: Evidence from Chinese Police Officers

Abstract Police officers face elevated risks of sleep disturbances due to occupational stress and trauma exposure. Although anxiety has been consistently linked to poor sleep quality, the cognitive mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. This study examined whether executive function mediates the relationship between anxiety and sleep quality among police officers, and whether depression serves as an alternative mediator. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 278 police officers in China. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI). Anxiety was significantly correlated with sleep quality ( r = .489, p < .01), depression ( r = .712, p < .01), and executive dysfunction ( r = .447, p < .01). Hierarchical regression revealed that anxiety independently predicted sleep quality (β = .367, p < .001), while depression did not (β = .059, p = .456). Executive function explained an additional 2.0% of the variance in sleep quality beyond demographic and emotional factors (ΔR² = .020, p = .007). Mediation analyses showed that executive function partially mediated the anxiety-sleep quality relationship (indirect effect = 0.027, 95% CI [0.006, 0.051]), accounting for 15.67% of the total effect. In contrast, depression did not mediate this relationship. Executive dysfunction is a significant cognitive pathway through which anxiety impairs sleep quality among police officers. Depression does not serve as a mediator, suggesting distinct mechanisms for anxiety and depression in affecting sleep. Interventions targeting both anxiety and executive function—such as cognitive training and mindfulness-based programs—may be more effective in improving sleep than addressing emotional symptoms alone.