Journal Article

Exploring the influence of social relationships on adolescents’ multiple sleep problems via a school-based China education panel survey: the moderating role of depressive emotion

Lee, Chun-Yang, Li, Xian, Wang, Lijie, Chen, Shih-Han, Mao, Li, Li, Yi, Chiang, Yi-Chen

2025

Overview

Background Poor adolescent sleep health is a significant public health issue worldwide. In particular, multiple sleep problems disturb the lives of adolescents. It is urgent to identify the key factors (e.g., parent‒child relationships, peer relationships, and teacher‒student relationships) and influential moderators (e.g., depressive emotions) that contribute to adolescent sleep problems. Methods Data were derived from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) and collected through self-reported questionnaires. A total of 7405 students (3818 boys and 3587 girls) born between 2000 and 2001 were followed from grade 7 through grade 8. Logistic regression was applied to explore the effects of the independent variables and moderating variable on students’ sleep problems. Results Remaining fatigued after waking up (17.97%), dreaminess (14.21%) and sleep fragmentation (13.07%) were the three most common sleep problems among the students. Peer relationships, teacher praise, and depressive emotions were related to adolescents’ sleep problems (all p  < 0.05). Notably, depressive emotion served as an influential moderator in the relationship between social relationships and sleep problems among students, exhibiting simultaneous and lasting effects (all p  < 0.05). Conclusions Reducing adolescents’ sleep problems is necessary, and enhancing adolescents’ positive social relationships and reducing their depressive emotions should receive increased attention.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adolescent / Adolescents / Analysis / Biostatistics / Care and treatment / China / China - epidemiology / Depression - psychology / Depression, Mental / Depressive emotion / Diagnosis / Education / Emotions / Environmental Health / Epidemiology / Fatigue / Female / Health aspects / Health surveys / Home and school / Humans / Independent variables / Interpersonal Relations / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental depression / Mental health / Moderating effect / Parent and child / Parent participation / Peer Group / Psychological aspects / Public Health / Questionnaires / Regression analysis / Risk factors / Schools / Sleep / Sleep disorders / Sleep problems / Sleep Wake Disorders - epidemiology / Sleep Wake Disorders - psychology / Social aspects / Social networks / Social relationships / Students / Students - psychology / Students - statistics & numerical data / Surveys / Surveys and Questionnaires / Teachers / Teenagers / Vaccine / Youth