Negative life events and sleep disturbance among adolescents: Intolerance of uncertainty as mediator and moderator

Abstract

Background: While negative life events (NLEs) have been linked to an increased risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents, the mechanisms of this impact still lack further examination. The current study aimed to explore whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a dispositional transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for psychopathology, could act as a mediator and/or moderator in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance.

Methods: A longitudinal nested subsample of 54,240 Chinese adolescents (aged 9-19) were surveyed at baseline (Timepoint 1) and six months later (Timepoint 2). They completed questionnaires to assess their IU, NLEs, sleep disturbance and sociodemographic characteristics. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to test our hypotheses.

Results: Upon adjusting for covariates, IU was found to mediate the relationship between NLEs and residual changes in sleep disturbance over a six-month period, with the mediation effect accounting for 31.8%. Additionally, the moderating role of IU in this relationship was also identified, suggesting that a high level of IU exacerbated the effect of NLEs on sleep disturbance.

Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings shed light on the dual roles of IU in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance, holding significant practical implications for preventing and intervening in sleep disturbance among adolescents. To mitigate the risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents experiencing NLEs, timely assessments of IU and tailored interventions to enhance uncertainty tolerance are necessary.

Keywords: Adolescents; Intolerance of uncertainty; Mediator; Moderator; Negative life events; Sleep disturbance.