Citation

Berg SS, Rosenau PS, Prichard JR. J. Am. Coll. Health 2022; 70(6): 1611-1614.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2020.1826493

PMID

33073731

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether sleep quality mediates the relationship between traumatic life events and psychological wellbeing in college students.

METHODS: 40,646 undergraduate responses from the Spring 2017 National College Health Assessment II were evaluated for relationships between two predictor variables: satisfactory sleep and traumatic life events, and two outcome variables: psychological distress (a composite of anxiety, exhaustion, feeling overwhelmed, depression, sadness, loneliness, hopelessness, and anger) and suicidality (composite of self-harm behaviors, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts). Linear mediation regression analysis via structural equation modeling was used to test these relationships.

RESULTS: Each additional traumatic life event students reported experiencing was associated with a 27.6% - 58.9% increase in the odds of reporting indicators of psychological distress or suicidality. Satisfactory sleep significantly mediated this negative relationship (proportional effects between 10.6 and 12.5%).

CONCLUSIONS: Healthy sleep mediates the impact of traumatic life events on psychological distress and suicidality.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Mental health; Psychological Distress; Risk Factors; sleep; Sleep Quality; Students; Suicidal Ideation; suicide; Suicide; undergraduate; Universities; well-being