Shenakht Journal of Psychology & Psychiatry

Introduction: During pregnancy, women experience various physical and psychological problems. One of these important and significant issues is sleep problems.
Aim: The present study aims to explain the structural model of sleep problems based on emotional alexithymia and childhood trauma mediated by resilience in pregnant women in Tehran.
Method: The present study employed a descriptive design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population comprised all pregnant women in Tehran in 2023. Based on Cohen's formula, a sample of 288 participants was selected through purposive non-random sampling. Four standardized questionnaires were administered to assess sleep problems, emotional alexithymia, childhood trauma, and resilience. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 27) and LISREL (version 8.8), applying Pearson correlation tests and structural equation modeling.
Results: The results indicated that the proposed model demonstrated a good fit. Among the examined variables, alexithymia showed the strongest positive association with sleep problems (r = 0.35), followed by childhood trauma (r = 0.25) and resilience (r = –0.21), respectively (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that higher levels of resilience are associated with fewer sleep problems. In addition, both alexithymia (r = 0.14) and childhood trauma (r = 0.20) exhibited significant inverse associations with the mediator variable, resilience (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that alexithymia, childhood trauma, and resilience are significant predictors of sleep problems. Accordingly, identifying and addressing these factors may contribute to substantial improvements in sleep quality among pregnant women.