ArticleBJPsych open2022
Psychological predictors of insomnia, anxiety and depression in university students: potential prevention targets.
Article in BJPsych open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Phenotypes associated with problematic online gaming and gambling: A clustering approach among young adults.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Ethnic Discrimination in Social Media and Depressive Symptoms Among Hispanic Emerging Adult College Students: Examining the Moderating Roles of Emotion Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control.Emerging adulthood (Print) · 2025Article
- The Relationship Between Problematic TikTok Use and Depression in University Students: The Mediating Role of Insomnia.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Association of health locus of control with anxiety and depression and mediating roles of health risk behaviors among college students.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Advances in the research of comorbid insomnia and depression: mechanisms, impacts, and interventions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Global prevalence of insomnia symptoms in undergraduate university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2025Review
- Examining Anxiety and Insomnia in Internship Students and Their Association with Internet Gaming Disorder.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- University Student Mental Health: An Important Window of Opportunity for Prevention and Early Intervention.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2023Article
- Hope Buffers the Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on Depression among College Students: Insomnia as a Mediator.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPerfectionism, low self-esteem and external locus of control are psychological constructs linked to insomnia, anxiety and depression. Examining how these constructs impact mental health and serve as risk factors for the development of clinically significant symptoms may help direct psychological support resources and preventative measures for university students.
aimsTo longitudinally examine associations between the aforementioned psychological constructs and symptoms of insomnia, anxiety and depression in a large representative sample of first-year university students.
methodElectronic surveys including validated measures of the predictors and outcomes were emailed to all first-year undergraduate students at entry to a major Canadian university, and followed up on at conclusion of the academic year.
resultsCompared with healthy sleepers, students screening positive for insomnia had lower self-esteem, higher self-evaluative perfectionism and increased external locus of control (all P < 0.001). Self-evaluative perfectionism (standardised β = 0.13, P < 0.01), self-esteem (β = -0.30, P < 0.001) and external locus of control (β = 0.07, P = 0.02) measured at entry were significantly associated with insomnia symptoms at follow-up. Insomnia symptoms at entry were strong predictors of symptoms of depression (β = 0.15, P < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.16, P < 0.001) at follow-up, even after controlling for baseline symptoms of those disorders.
conclusionsPerfectionism, low self-esteem and external locus of control may predispose the development of insomnia symptoms in university students. In turn, insomnia symptoms appear to be robust predictors for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Sleep may be an important prevention target in university students.
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