Sleep Disturbances as a Statistical Mediator Between Perceived Academic Stressors and Emotional, Cognitive, and...

Sleep disturbances are central to students' experience of academic stress, yet their involvement in differentiated emotional, cognitive, and physical responses to academic demands requires further specification. This study tested a statistical mediation model in which sleep disturbances were specified as the statistical mediator between perceived academic stressors and irritability, negative thoughts, and physical exhaustion. Using a non-experimental cross-sectional design, data were collected from 1014 undergraduates at the University of Extremadura (M_age = 20.56, SD = 3.50), who completed the Academic Stressors Scale (E-CEA) and Academic Stress Responses Scale (R-CEA). Three mediation models were estimated with PROCESS Model 4, adjusting for gender, year of study, and field of study. Academic stressors were positively associated with sleep disturbances (β = 0.52, p < 0.001), which were positively associated with the three stress responses (β = 0.30-0.41, all p < 0.001). Academic stressors remained directly associated with these outcomes after accounting for sleep disturbances (β = 0.32-0.48, all p < 0.001). Indirect associations through sleep disturbances were observed for irritability (β = 0.19, 95% CI [0.15, 0.23]), negative thoughts (β = 0.16, 95% CI [0.12, 0.20]), and physical exhaustion (β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.17, 0.25]). Findings indicate partial cross-sectional statistical mediation and suggest that sleep-focused prevention may complement efforts to manage academic demands and student well-being.