Sleep and Perceived Stress: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis of the Role of Self-Control and Resilience among University Students

Abstract

Background: High levels of stress are frequent in university education, and a lack of sleep has been reported to make students more vulnerable to stress. The mechanisms through which sleep harms students have not been sufficiently clarified; therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-control and resilience in the relationship between sleep quality and duration and perceived stress. Methods: Of 32 first-year college students, 21 (78%) were women, with a mean age of 18.47 (±0.84). They responded to a self-administered survey that included questions on stress, resilience, and sleep quality and recorded their daily sleep duration using a wristband for six days. Results: Perceived stress was significantly correlated with resilience (r = −0.63), self-control (r = −0.46), sleep duration (r = −0.35), and lower sleep quality (r = 0.57). Path analysis revealed that self-control and resilience were partially mediated by sleep quality (R2 = 0.62; p < 0.01) and completely mediated by sleep duration (R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01). In both models, self-control had a direct effect on resilience and had a good-fit index. Conclusion: Being resilient seems to play a mediating role in the relationship between sleep and perceived stress; this ability can be favored by self-control, which is directly influenced by sleep.

Factors associated with sleep disorders among university students in Jiangsu Province: a cross-sectional study

“…University students normally face poor sleep quality (4) due to social influences, health conditions and academic workload. Sleep deprivation in university students can greatly impinge on students' cognitive function and scholastic achievements (5,6), and is also linked to serious health problems like obesity (7) and mental issues including depression, anxiety (8,9), stress, and burnout (10,11). Researchers have applied the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index across various cultural backdrops to delineate between good and poor sleepers among students (12)(13)(14).…”