The moderating role of anger rumination and self‐control in the day‐to‐day associations between irritability and sleep in male adolescents: An exploratory experience sampling method study
4 affiliations
- 1Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland.
- 2Faculty of Biology and Medicine University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland.
- 3Center of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Psychopathology Department of Psychiatry Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland.
- 4Division of Youth Mental Health Faculty of Psychology University of Basel Basel Switzerland.
Abstract
Background
Irritability is highly prevalent in adolescents and may be exacerbated by sleep disturbances, with sleep patterns undergoing significant changes during this developmental period. Reciprocally, poor sleep may generate an increase in anger dysregulation. This exploratory study investigates the day-to-day associations between sleep and irritability, as well as the moderating effects of maladaptive (i.e., anger rumination) and adaptive (i.e., self-control) emotion regulation (ER) strategies.Methods
Fifty-six male adolescents aged 12-18, with diverse sleep and emotional problems, participated in a 9-day experience sampling method study. Participants also completed self-report questionnaires assessing irritability, sleep quantity and quality, and maladaptive and adaptive ER strategies. Linear mixed effect models with lagged covariates were used to test associations and moderating effects.Results
At the within-person level, sleep quality was associated with next-day irritability (βstd = -0.92, 95% CI [-1.31, -0.53). Higher daily anger rumination (βstd = 0.25, 95% CI [0.17, 0.34]), and daily self-control (βstd = -0.18, 95% CI [-0.27, -0.10]) were directly associated with higher next-day irritability. At the between-person level, lower self-control was also associated with higher next-day irritability (βstd = -0.52, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.27]). Interactions between daily sleep quality and between-person anger rumination ( βstdinteraction = 0.18, 95% [0.07, 0.30]), and self-control ( βstdinteraction = 0.75, 95% CI [0.38, 1.12]) were related with irritability. Reciprocally, lower irritability from the day was associated with better sleep quality the following night (βstd = -0.11, 95% CI [-0.20, -0.01]).Conclusion
These preliminary findings suggest that sleep may be related to next-day irritability in adolescent boys and may vary as a function of anger rumination and self-control. Additionally, irritability also showed a potential association with subsequent sleep. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small, all-male adolescent sample. Future studies including larger and more diverse adolescent samples are needed to assess their generalizability and robustness.
Related
- Trait and state irritability in young adults: daily affective dynamics and associations with physical and mental functioning
- Associations and mechanisms between childhood adversity and irritability or trait anger across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Cognitive–emotional associations between non-restorative sleep and erectile dysfunction: the role of rumination profiles and resilience
- Associations of rumination and worry with pain and functional limitation in knee osteoarthritis : A cross-sectional study accounting for radiographic severity
- Psychological Pain and Its Associations with Autistic Traits, Anger Rumination, and Tolerance for Mental Pain Among Medical Students
BibTeX
@article{giovannini2026moderating,
title = {{The moderating role of anger rumination and self‐control in the day‐to‐day associations between irritability and sleep in male adolescents: An exploratory experience sampling method study}},
author = {Julia Giovannini and Setareh Ranjbar and Jennifer Glaus and Ines Mürner-Lavanchy and Lauriane Constanty and Kerstin Jessica Plessen and Sébastien Urben},
journal = {JCPP advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/jcv2.70183},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718871},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The moderating role of anger rumination and self‐control in the day‐to‐day associations between irritability and sleep in male adolescents: An exploratory experience sampling method study
AU - Julia Giovannini
AU - Setareh Ranjbar
AU - Jennifer Glaus
AU - Ines Mürner-Lavanchy
AU - Lauriane Constanty
AU - Kerstin Jessica Plessen
AU - Sébastien Urben
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - JCPP advances
DO - 10.1002/jcv2.70183
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13718871
AB - Background Irritability is highly prevalent in adolescents and may be exacerbated by sleep disturbances, with sleep patterns undergoing significant changes during this developmental period. Reciprocally, poor sleep may generate an increase in anger dysregulation. This exploratory study investigates the day-to-day associations between sleep and irritability, as well as the moderating effects of maladaptive (i.e., anger rumination) and adaptive (i.e., self-control) emotion regulation (ER) strategies.Methods Fifty-six male adolescents aged 12-18, with diverse sleep and emotional problems, participated in a 9-day experience sampling method study. Participants also completed self-report questionnaires assessing irritability, sleep quantity and quality, and maladaptive and adaptive ER strategies. Linear mixed effect models with lagged covariates were used to test associations and moderating effects.Results At the within-person level, sleep quality was associated with next-day irritability (βstd = -0.92, 95% CI [-1.31, -0.53). Higher daily anger rumination (βstd = 0.25, 95% CI [0.17, 0.34]), and daily self-control (βstd = -0.18, 95% CI [-0.27, -0.10]) were directly associated with higher next-day irritability. At the between-person level, lower self-control was also associated with higher next-day irritability (βstd = -0.52, 95% CI [-0.77, -0.27]). Interactions between daily sleep quality and between-person anger rumination ( βstdinteraction = 0.18, 95% [0.07, 0.30]), and self-control ( βstdinteraction = 0.75, 95% CI [0.38, 1.12]) were related with irritability. Reciprocally, lower irritability from the day was associated with better sleep quality the following night (βstd = -0.11, 95% CI [-0.20, -0.01]).Conclusion These preliminary findings suggest that sleep may be related to next-day irritability in adolescent boys and may vary as a function of anger rumination and self-control. Additionally, irritability also showed a potential association with subsequent sleep. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small, all-male adolescent sample. Future studies including larger and more diverse adolescent samples are needed to assess their generalizability and robustness.
SN - 2692-9384
ER -