This study explores the mediating effects of repetitive negative thinking in the relationship between perfectionism and adolescent sleep quality. A sample of 1664 Chinese adolescents with a mean age of 15.0 years was recruited, and they completed four measures relating to perfectionism, sleep quality, worry, and rumination. The results showed that maladaptive perfectionism was positively correlated with poor sleep quality in adolescents, which was mediated by both worry and rumination. However, adaptive perfectionism was not significantly associated with adolescent sleep quality, and this relationship was suppressed by rumination (but not worry). The implications of these results are also discussed.
Keywords: Chinese adolescents; mediating effect; perfectionism; repetitive negative thinking; sleep quality.