A Longitudinal Examination of the Bidirectional Association Between Sleep Problems and Social Ties at University: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research linking sleep problems and social ties, research investigating the direction of effects between these two constructs is lacking. Furthermore, there remains a dearth of research examining the mechanisms that may explain the association between sleep problems and social ties within a longitudinal design. The present 3-year longitudinal study addressed two research questions: (1) Is there a bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties at university? and (2) Does emotion regulation mediate the association between sleep problems and social ties at university? Participants (N = 942, 71.5% female; M = 19.01 years at Time 1, SD = 0.90) were university students who completed annual assessments of sleep problems, social ties, and emotion regulation, for three consecutive years. Results of path analysis indicated that the bidirectional association between sleep problems and social ties was statistically significant (controlling for demographics, sleep-wake inconsistency, sleep duration, and alcohol). Analyses of indirect effects indicated that emotion regulation mediated this link, such that better sleep quality (i.e., less sleep problems) led to more effective emotion regulation, which, subsequently, led to more positive social ties. In addition, more positive social ties led to more effective emotion regulation, which, in turn, led to less sleep problems. The findings highlight the critical role that emotional regulation plays in the link between sleep problems and social ties, and emphasize the need for students as well as university administration to pay close attention to both the sleep and social environment of university students.

Adolescents' technology and face-to-face time use predict objective sleep outcomes

“…Face-to-face interactions with friends may provide opportunities to experience positive affect (39), which subsequently promote good sleep. Time spent in-person with friends also had positive associations with sleep efficiency – particularly for younger adolescents.…”

Advancing a Biopsychosocial and Contextual Model of Sleep in Adolescence: A Review and Introduction to the Special Issue

“…In addition, although not focused on physical and physiological characteristics, the Tavernier and Willoughby (2015) study in this issue complements the Sladek and Doane (2015) study by examining the bidirectional associations between sleep problems and social connectedness. In a 3-year longitudinal study of 942 university students Tavernier and Willoughby (2015) found that sleep quality was prospectively associated with more positive social ties and that this association was mediated by emotion regulation. In addition, cascading processes emerged, as positive social ties contributed to more effective emotion regulation which in turn contributed to fewer sleep problems.…”

Why might poor sleep quality lead to depression? A role for emotion regulation

“…artificially shortened night sleep) on subsequent emotional functioning (Pilcher & Huffcut, 1996). For instance, a shortened night sleep among young adolescents has been associated with worse ER; this has been found when sleep loss is measured by actigraphy, (objective measurements of sleep-related somatic activity; Vriend et al, 2013), experimental deprivation (Baum et al, 2014), or self-reports (Tavernier & Willoughby, 2014). People who report poor sleep for the past week exhibit worse emotion-regulation ability in the laboratory (Mauss et al, 2013).…”

“…Maladaptive ER has been shown to mediate processes related to individual adjustment, such as the relationship between sleep problems and detrimental social ties in university students (Tavernier & Willloughby, 2014) or between insomnia and negative mood (Xia & Zhou, 2010). Maladaptive ER has specifically predicted increased depressive symptoms at a five-year follow-up (Berking et al, 2014), and, conversely, endorsement of successful ER strategies predicts recovery from depression (Arditte & Joormann, 2011).…”