From well-rested to wrecked: identifying college sleep patterns with latent profile analysis

This study sought to classify the myriad profiles that might exist of undergraduate sleepers by examining diverse sleep and sleep-related indicators.

A total of 642 undergraduates (77.3% female; M_age=21.3 years; SD = 2.4) completed measures of sleep disturbance and sleep-related behaviors, in addition to critical sleep correlates (e.g., problematic smartphone use, chronotype) during the Spring 2023 semester.

Based on latent profile analysis of 19 indicator variables, five unique profiles of undergraduate sleepers were identified: 1) "great" (i.e., high sleep self-efficacy, low sleep disturbance; 22.6%), 2) "average" (34.7%), 3) "poor" (i.e., poor sleep hygiene, high sleep disturbance; 20.1%), 4) "poor, but conscientious" (i.e., moderate sleep hygiene, multiple barriers to quality sleep; 19.2%), and 5) "high-risk behavior" (i.e., poor sleep quality/hygiene, notable substance use; 3.4%).

This study identifies critical differences amongst types of undergraduate sleepers. These efforts may support more targeted interventions to support their sleep and functioning.