Predictors of Health Behaviour Dimensions: Evidence from Structural Equation Modeling of Sleep Quality and Emotional Stability

Background: The concept of health behaviour is a composite with multi-dimensional aspects which are affected by behavioural, psychological and environmental factors. The quality of sleep and emotional stableness have been recognized as important factors influencing physical and mental health. But, there was weak evidence on their combination predicting the dimensions of health behaviour with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The present study analysed the predictive value of the quality of sleep and emotional state on the health behaviour of adults. The study additionally examined the interactions between gender, sleep quality and emotional stability for health behaviour dimensions. The study goals and research questions form the thesis structure of a study. Material and Methods: The data were taken from 500 adults through cross sectional analytical study. Standardized psychometric instruments were used to assess sleep quality, emotional stability, health behaviour. Health behaviour was assessed in four areas: somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and depression. The relationship between the study variables was explored using three-way factorial ANOVA, independent-sample t-tests and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results: The mean sleep quality score of the participants was 5.95 ± 3.30, whereas the mean emotional stability score was 5.55 ± 3.17. Participants with poor sleep quality and low emotional stability consistently demonstrated poorer health behaviour across all dimensions. Three-way ANOVA revealed significant main effects of sleep quality and emotional stability on health behaviour (p < 0.001). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that sleep quality significantly predicted somatic symptoms (β = 0.68), anxiety/insomnia (β = 0.61), social dysfunction (β = 0.57), and severe depression (β = 0.24). Emotional stability significantly predicted somatic symptoms (β = 0.29), anxiety/insomnia (β = 0.66), social dysfunction (β = 0.72), and severe depression (β = 0.72). The SEM exhibited excellent model fit (χ² = 3.84, p = 0.15; CFI = 0.992; TLI = 0.986; RMSEA = 0.031; SRMR = 0.018). Conclusion: Sleep quality and emotional stability are significant predictors of health behaviour among adults. Poor sleep quality and low emotional stability were associated with increased somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression. The findings suggest that interventions focusing on improving sleep quality and emotional resilience may contribute to better behavioural and psychological health outcomes.

Keywords: Health behaviour; Sleep quality; Emotional stability; Structural equation modeling; Prediction; Mental health.