COVID-19 worry, coping techniques, and sleep-related impairment

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sleep Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health and well-being of college students globally.
• Understanding the interplay between pandemic-related stress, coping mechanisms, and sleep quality is crucial for student support services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between worry about COVID-19, the use of healthy and unhealthy coping strategies, and sleep-related impairment in undergraduate students.
• To determine if coping strategies moderate the association between COVID-19 worry and sleep disturbances.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 366 undergraduate students.
• Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing COVID-19 worry, healthy coping, unhealthy coping, and sleep-related impairment.

Main Results:

• Higher levels of COVID-19 worry were directly associated with increased sleep-related impairment.
• The use of unhealthy coping strategies significantly predicted greater sleep impairment, while healthy coping strategies were linked to less impairment.
• Unhealthy coping moderated the relationship between COVID-19 worry and sleep impairment, intensifying the negative impact of worry on sleep.

Conclusions:

• Unhealthy coping mechanisms represent a significant risk factor for poor sleep quality among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Interventions aimed at promoting healthy coping strategies may help mitigate sleep problems associated with pandemic-related anxiety in this population.