Sleep and subjective well-being among chinese adolescents: Resilience as a mediator

Abstract

Introduction: The relationships among sleep, resilience, and subjective well-being (SWB) are less studied in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the associations between multiple sleep domains (sleep duration and quality, and chronotype) and SWB in Chinese adolescents, and whether resilience mediated these relationships. Methods: We enrolled 455 adolescents in Jintan and Nanjing cities (Jiangsu Province, China) in 2017–2018. Sleep variables included sleep duration (time in bed [TIB], interval between bedtime and waketime), sleep quality (global score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), and chronotype (mid-sleep time on weekends corrected for sleep debt). We used the Chinese version of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale to measure resilience, and the satisfaction with Life Scale and Subjective Happiness Scale to measure SWB. Mediation analyses were performed using structural equation modeling with a bootstrap approach. Results: The associations between sleep duration/sleep quality and SWB were fully mediated by resilience. Specifically, longer TIB (B = 2.04, P = 0.03) and lower PSQI scores (B = −1.60, P < 0.001) were associated with greater resilience, which in turn, was associated with greater latent SWB constructed from happiness and life satisfaction (BTIB = 0.12, BPSQI = 0.11, P < 0.05). Later chronotype was associated with lower happiness (B = −0.52, P = 0.01) and life satisfaction (B = −0.76, P = 0.02) but not resilience and latent SWB. Conclusion: Sleep duration and sleep quality were positively associated with latent SWB, and resilience is a mediator. Later, chronotype was independently associated with lower levels of SWB indicators, including happiness and life satisfaction. The study findings highlight the importance of optimal sleep in promoting resilience and SWB during adolescence.