The mediating role of empathy in the relationship between perceived parental stress and children's sleep quality: A descriptive study

Abstract :

The present study was to investigate the effect of parents' perceived stress during the quarantine days caused by the spread of the covid-19 disease on the quality of children's sleep with the mediating role of empathy. This research was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population includes all theparents of the 4-6 year-old students of education district 1 of Shiraz city at the preschool level in the academic year 1400-1401, whose number was 3356, and a sample of 343 was selected through cluster method. Data collection tools included parenting stress questionnaires by Berry and Jones (1995), sleep disorder in children by Broni et al. (1976) and Baron-Cohen's empathy benefit (2003). Data analysis was done with Lisrel statistical software and path analysis test. The findings showed that the cognitive and emotional components of empathy have a direct and negative relationship with the perceived stress of parents, and it is statistically significant at the level of 0.01. But there is a positive and direct relationship between empathy components and sleep quality. Also, the direct effect of perceived stress on sleep quality is negative and statistically significant. Based on the findings, perceived stress through the mediation of cognitive empathy and emotional empathy has an indirect and negative effect on sleep quality.

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