Cognitive Reappraisal and Sleep Quality: A Serial Mediation Analysis of Associations Through Meaningful Work and Perceived Stress

Sunyoung Oh Department of Vocational Studies, Kyonggi University, Seoul, South KoreaCorrespondence: Sunyoung Oh, Department of Vocational Studies, Kyonggi University, 24 Kyonggidae-ro 9-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Email sunyoungoh@kyonggi.ac.krPurpose: Although cognitive reappraisal—an adaptive emotion regulation strategy—has been associated with lower stress and greater resilience, its implications for sleep health remain insufficiently understood. This study examined whether cognitive reappraisal is related to better sleep quality through its associations with meaningful work and perceived stress among working adults.Methods: Data were drawn from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Cognitive reappraisal was assessed in an earlier wave, approximately two years prior to the assessment of meaningful work (measured with a single item), perceived stress, and sleep quality during the biomarker phase. The final analytic sample consisted of 852 working adults. Path analysis using Mplus was conducted to test the proposed serial mediation model, with demographic, psychological, and occupational covariates included in all paths.Results: Cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with work meaning, which was negatively associated with perceived stress. Reappraisal also showed a direct association with lower stress. Perceived stress, in turn, was associated with poorer sleep quality. The indirect effect was significant, supporting the proposed serial pathway: individuals reporting greater use of cognitive reappraisal experienced better sleep quality through higher work meaning and lower stress.Conclusion: The findings suggest that emotion regulation is related to sleep health in working adults, in part through its association with meaningful work and perceived stress. By integrating emotion regulation, work meaning, and stress within a single model, this study clarifies how these psychosocial processes are interconnected in relation to sleep. These associations point to the potential relevance of cognitive reappraisal and work-related meaning for efforts aimed at reducing perceived stress and supporting sleep health.Keywords: sleep quality, cognitive reappraisal, meaningful work, perceived stress