Insomnia among vocational college students in China: Status and influencing factors

Sleep-related problems, particularly insomnia and sleep disturbances, have become increasingly prevalent. However, few studies have specifically explored these issues among vocational college students.

To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of insomnia and its relationship with sleep disturbances in Chinese vocational college students.

Two vocational colleges in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2025 using cluster sampling. A total of 1,993 students completed the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Espie Sleep Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) and a self-designed questionnaire.

In all, 48.02% of students reported insomnia symptoms in the past month. Higher insomnia severity was significantly associated with three SDQ dimensions: sleep restlessness/agitation (t = 7.466, p < 0.001), mental overactivity (t = 9.670, p < 0.001) and preoccupation with insomnia consequences (t = 9.509, p < 0.001). Other significant factors included being female (t = -3.582, p < 0.001), being a freshman (t = -5.782, p < 0.001), dissatisfaction with their academic major (t = -4.731, p < 0.001), alcohol use (t = 2.654, p = 0.007) and engaging in fewer than 7 h per week of extracurricular study or reading (t = -2.328, p = 0.020).

Insomnia in vocational college students is influenced by multiple factors and is strongly linked to sleep disturbances.

This study provides empirical evidence on insomnia in this population and offers insights to guide targeted interventions in higher education settings.