Longitudinal associations between worry and sleep quality among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic : a moderated mediation model

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a serious and widespread impact on people’s psychosocial adaptation. This is especially true for adolescents, who face various uncertainties. To explore the impact of worry on sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mediating effect of intrusive thoughts, and the moderating effect of mindfulness, a 1-year longitudinal study was conducted on 649 Chinese adolescents from two junior high schools in Puyang city. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were adopted as research instruments. The results revealed the following: (1) Worry at T1 had a positive effect on Chinese adolescents’ sleep quality at T2; (2) Intrusive thoughts at T2 mediated the relationship between worry at T1 and Chinese adolescents’ sleep quality at T2; (3) Both the direct and indirect effects between worry at T1 and Chinese adolescents’ sleep quality at T2 were moderated by mindfulness at T2. The results may contribute to a better understanding of the effects of worry and Chinese adolescents’ sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.