Sleep quality and aggressive behavior among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal moderated mediation model

Sleep quality plays a significant role in aggressive behavior. However, there is limited understanding of how and under what conditions quality of sleep influences aggression. The current study investigated whether self-control mediates and sensation-seeking moderates the link between sleep quality and aggressive behavior.

This study employed validated Chinese versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Self-Control Scale, the Buss-Perry Aggression Scale, and the Sensation-Seeking Scale. Each variable was evaluated through self-report. Four public middle schools were selected as sample institutions from a city in northwest China, using a three-wave longitudinal design with six-month intervals between each wave. The sample comprised 1281 seventh-grade students, with a mean age of 12.73 years at baseline (SD = 0.68, 49.6 % female).

The indirect effect of sleep quality on aggressive behavior through self-control was significant (β = -0.21, p = 0.035, 95 % CI = [-0.405, -0.014]). Sensation-seeking moderated the direct pathway from sleep quality to self-control (β = -0.12, p < 0.001) as well as the direct pathway from sleep quality to aggressive behavior (β = -0.10, p < 0.001).

The findings indicate that poor sleep quality can relate to a higher likelihood of aggressive behavior through an indirect pathway: lower self-control. Adolescents with lower levels of sensation-seeking exhibited a weaker indirect effect compared to those with higher levels.