The interrelationship between sleep disturbance symptoms and aggression before and after the campus closure of the COVID-19 pandemic: insight from a cross-lagged panel network model

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is detrimental to sleep quality and increases aggression among college students. Nevertheless, relevant studies were rare. Hence, we collected longitudinal data during and post-campus closure in the current study to investigate the relationship between sleep disturbance and aggression.

Methods: Data from 665 college students (59.2% females, Mean_age = 19.01, SD _age = 1.25) were collected before (wave 1) and after (wave 2) the campus closure of COVID-19. All participants were asked to fill out the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale. Two symptom networks and a cross-lagged panel network were formed and tested.

Results: Hostility has the highest centrality in the symptom network both in waves 1 and 2, and it bridges sleep disturbance and aggression. "Easily be woken" - "wake up too early" and "wake up with tired" - "function hindrance" are two important symptom associations in networks of waves 1 and 2. All symptoms except "difficulty in falling asleep" and "easily be woken" ameliorated after closure. Moreover, "physical aggression" and "hostility" can trigger other symptoms in wave 2.

Conclusion: As the first study about aggression and sleep disturbance in the background of COVID-19, we provide valuable information about the relationship between sleep disturbance and aggression on the symptom dimension.

Keywords: aggression; college students; cross-lagged panel network; sleep disturbance; symptoms.