Social support and sleep: A meta-analysis

Health Psychol. 2018 Aug;37(8):787-798. doi: 10.1037/hea0000628. Epub 2018 May 28.

Abstract

Objective: While the implications of social support are increasingly well understood, no meta-analytic review to date has examined the intersection of the social support and sleep literatures. The aims of this meta-analysis were primarily to review the association between social support and sleep and additionally to test several proposed moderators from prior work.

Method: Using a literature search and the ancestry approach, the review identified 61 studies with a total of 105,437 participants.

Results: Random-effects modeling showed that greater social support was significantly related to improved sleep outcomes (Zr = -.152). These results were not moderated by the operationalization of support, study design, or chronic conditions.

Conclusions: These data indicate a robust association between social support and favorable sleep outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / pathology
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / therapy*
  • Social Support*