Psychological distress in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: The role of hostility and coping self-efficacy

We aimed to assess whether hostility and coping self-efficacy are associated with psychological distress in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. Furthermore, we examined whether coping self-efficacy mediates the association between hostility and psychological distress. We included 150 obstructive sleep apnoea patients (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index > 5; 68% male; mean age: 48.9 +/- 9.5 years). Regression models showed that hostility and poor coping self-efficacy were strongly associated with psychological distress in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. All assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions mediated the association between hostility and psychological distress. Coping self-efficacy for stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts showed the strongest association with a lower level of psychological distress.