The mediating role of depression in the relationship between fatigue and sleep quality in kidney transplant patients

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the mediating role of depression between fatigue and sleep quality in patients after renal transplantation. Methods: The general information questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate 200 kidney transplant patients in our department from May 2019 to November 2020. Results: The total PSQI score is (5.31±2.47) points. This study shows that the total score of PSQI is positively correlated with the total score of PHQ and MFI (r=0.422/0.468, P<0.01 for both). Depression partially mediates the relationship between fatigue and sleep quality in kidney transplant patients. The indirect effect is 0.130, accounting for 29.8% of the total effect. Conclusion: Fatigue may not only directly affect the sleep quality of patients after renal transplantation, but also indirectly affect sleep quality through the mediating effect of depression.