The relationship between stressful life events, sleep, emotional regulation, and depression in freshmen college students

In recent years, adolescent sleep problems have received increasing attention. Stressful life events have been found to be a risk factor for sleep problems, but little is known about the components that may explain or influence this association. To investigate this, the present study tested whether depressive symptoms mediated the association between stressful life events and Chinese freshmen' sleep problems, as well as whether emotional regulation skills moderated this process. A sample of 513 Chinese freshmen (32.2% males, mean age = 19.04 years, SD = 1.21) completed anonymous questionnaires regarding stressful life events, depressive symptoms, emotional regulation and sleep problems (examined using Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Response to Stress Questionnaire). The study included covariates such as gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Depressive symptoms were shown to partially mediated the association between stressful life events and sleep problems in structural equation models. Emotional regulation moderated the relationship betweenn stressful life events and depressive symptoms. The results show that promoting emotional regulation could be beneficial in preventing and intervening sleep problems related to stressful life events.

Automated summary

In recent years, the sleep problems among adolescents have gained attention. It has been found that stressful life events can lead to sleep problems, but the factors that explain or influence this association are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate whether depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between stressful life events and sleep problems in Chinese freshmen, and whether emotional regulation skills moderate this process. The findings show that depressive symptoms partially mediate the association between stressful life events and sleep problems, and emotional regulation moderates the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. The results suggest that promoting emotional regulation could be beneficial in preventing and intervening sleep problems related to stressful life events.