| 【Abstract】 Background Resident physicians are a high-risk group for sleep disorders, exhibiting a significantly higher prevalence of such conditions compared to the general adult population, which severely impairs their physical and mental health. Perceived stress is hypothesized to detrimentally affect sleep quality through psychological mechanisms, such as depleting self-control resources and triggering anxiety; however, this pathway requires empirical validation. Objective This study examines the mediating effects of self-control and anxiety in the relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality among resident physicians. It aims to uncover the specific psychological mechanisms through which perceived stress influences sleep in this population, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for developing targeted psychological interventions. Methods In April 2025, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at a hospital in Fuyang City. Participants included 372 resident physicians in their first to third years of standardized residency training (PGY-1 to PGY-3). The Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Dual-Mode of Self-Control Scale (DMSC-S), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item scale (GAD-7) were administered to the participants in group settings. The Bootstrap method was used for mediation analysis to examine the mediating roles of self-control and anxiety in the association between perceived stress and sleep quality. Results A total of 322 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 86.56%. The prevalence of sleep disturbance (PSQI≥7) was 45.34% (n=146). CPSS score was positively correlated with GAD-7 and PSQI scores (r=0.727, 0.784, all P<0.01), and DMSC-S score was negatively correlated with PSQI score (r=-0.615, P<0.01). Perceived stress could directly and positively predict sleep quality (B=0.124, t=4.035, P<0.01), with the direct effect accounting for 31.31% of the total effect. Meanwhile, perceived stress affected sleep quality indirectly through three paths: first, the independent partial mediating effect of self-control (indirect effect=0.054, accounting for 13.64%); second, the independent partial mediating effect of anxiety (indirect effect=0.192, accounting for 48.48%); third, the serial mediating effect of self-control and anxiety (indirect effect=0.026, 95% CI:0.005–0.049, P<0.01, accounting for 6.57%). Conclusion The relationship between perceived stress and sleep quality is serially mediated by self-control and anxiety. |