Dispositional mindfulness as a moderator of the relationships between anxiety, quality of life, and insomnia severity in older adults

Alkarrar Haidar Al-Khalidi

Monash University, Australia

Biography :

Alkarrar, is currently completing an Honours degree in Psychology at Monash University, building on his undergraduate studies in the same field. His research focuses on the relationship between anx­iety, quality of life, and insomnia in older adults, with a particular interest in the moderating role of dispositional mindfulness. He is passionate about research that explores the intersection of men­tal health, ageing, and sleep, and he is particularly interested in how psychological resilience factors can inform more effective, per­son-centred interventions across the lifespan.

Abstract :

Insomnia is prevalent in older adulthood and linked to ad­verse physical, emotional, and cognitive outcomes. While anxiety is a recognised risk factor, reduced quality of life (QoL) may also heighten vulnerability to sleep disturbanc­es. Dispositional mindfulness has been proposed as a pro­tective factor that may buffer the impact of anxiety and low QoL on insomnia; however, its moderating role in older adults remains underexplored. This study used baseline data from a larger randomised controlled trial evaluating a six-week online mindfulness intervention for insomnia. A total of 108 adults aged 55 and older completed standardised self-re­port measures of insomnia severity, anxiety, QoL, and dispo­sitional mindfulness. Linear regression analyses tested main effects, while moderated multiple regression examined inter­action effects, including exploratory analyses of mindfulness facets. Higher anxiety was associated with greater insomnia severity, and higher QoL predicted lower insomnia severity. Although overall mindfulness did not significantly moder­ate these relationships, significant interactions emerged be­tween QoL and two mindfulness facets: acting with aware­ness and describing. These findings suggest that specific facets of mindfulness may interact with broader wellbeing indicators to influence sleep. Tailoring mindfulness-based interventions to strengthen dispositional traits may enhance their relevance and effectiveness for older adults experienc­ing insomnia.