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Research Article: The interrelationships among insomnia, frailty, anxiety, and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study

Date Published: 2026-06-12

Abstract:
This study examined the complex relationships among insomnia, anxiety, frailty, and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults, testing whether frailty moderates the mediating role of anxiety between insomnia and cognition. This cross-sectional study included 108 insomnia patients recruited from community and hospital settings between August 2025 and February 2026. Assessments included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, FRAIL Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales. Moderated mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 7). Pre-frailty significantly moderated the insomnia–anxiety relationship (PSQI × Pre-frailty: ? = 1.029, p = 0.017). The indirect effect of insomnia on cognition through anxiety was significant in both robust (? = ?0.053, 95% CI [?0.111, ?0.004]) and pre-frail individuals (? = ?0.090, 95% CI [?0.179, ?0.007]), with a significant index of moderated mediation (Index = ?0.037, 95% CI [?0.101, ?0.0003]), indicating that the anxiety-mediated pathway was stronger in pre-frail individuals. Both frailty (? = ?1.3, p < 0.001) and insomnia severity (? = ?0.176, p < 0.001) independently predicted cognitive function. The anxiety-mediated pathway between insomnia and cognitive impairment is active in both robust and pre-frail individuals but is significantly amplified in the pre-frail state, identifying pre-frailty as a distinct psychologically vulnerable window. Integrated interventions targeting insomnia, anxiety, and pre-frailty may be particularly beneficial for preserving cognitive health in middle-aged and older adults.

Introduction:
Insomnia, characterized by self-reported difficulties with sleep initiation and maintenance ( 1 ), is a prevalent condition that significantly impairs quality of life, particularly among middle-aged and older adults ( 2 ). A robust body of evidence links insomnia to cognitive decline, with studies demonstrating that greater severity and longer duration of insomnia are associated with an increased cognitive burden ( 3 , 4 ). Notably, subjective poor sleep quality in older adults with insomnia correlates with…

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