The relationship between sleep problems and well-being among Chinese children: a moderated mediation model with anxiety as mediator and resilience as moderator.
4 affiliations
- 1School of Education and Humanities, Suzhou Polytechnic University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
- 2Inclusive Education and Children's Health Research Center, Suzhou Polytechnic University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
- 3Suzhou Hi-Tech Zone Fengqiao Guanfeng Kindergarten, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
- 4School of Educational Sciences, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, Henan, China.
Abstract
Prior research has shown that well-being is a key factor in children's developmental outcomes. However, the factors that relate to children's well-being are still unclear, especially among Chinese populations. This research investigated the relationship between sleep problems and the well-being of children in China, specifically testing (1) whether sleep problems were associated with well-being, (2) whether anxiety may serve as a mediator, and (3) whether resilience may moderate this association. A total of 606 Chinese children (53.3% girls; mean age = 11.09 years) participated in the present study using a cross-sectional design by completing self-report instruments, including the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, the Anxiety subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Pearson correlations and a moderated mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 58 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were conducted, controlling for age. (1) There was a significant negative correlation between sleep problems and well-being (r = -0.39, p < 0.001). (2) After controlling for age, anxiety mediated this association. (3) Resilience moderated this association. Specifically, the indirect effect was stronger in the high-resilience group (indirect effect = -0.15, 95% CI = [-0.23, -0.08]) than in the low-resilience group (indirect effect = -0.05, 95% CI = [-0.09, -0.03]). These findings provide preliminary evidence on how sleep problems are associated with well-being among Chinese children. They also suggest that anxiety and resilience may be relevant for future intervention studies, although longitudinal and experimental designs are needed to test whether targeting these factors can improve mental health.
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BibTeX
@article{ding2026relationship,
title = {{The relationship between sleep problems and well-being among Chinese children: a moderated mediation model with anxiety as mediator and resilience as moderator.}},
author = {Junfeng Ding and Xinhua Hou and Guiping Dou},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1900442},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996704},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The relationship between sleep problems and well-being among Chinese children: a moderated mediation model with anxiety as mediator and resilience as moderator.
AU - Junfeng Ding
AU - Xinhua Hou
AU - Guiping Dou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1900442
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996704
AB - Prior research has shown that well-being is a key factor in children's developmental outcomes. However, the factors that relate to children's well-being are still unclear, especially among Chinese populations. This research investigated the relationship between sleep problems and the well-being of children in China, specifically testing (1) whether sleep problems were associated with well-being, (2) whether anxiety may serve as a mediator, and (3) whether resilience may moderate this association. A total of 606 Chinese children (53.3% girls; mean age = 11.09 years) participated in the present study using a cross-sectional design by completing self-report instruments, including the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, the Anxiety subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Pearson correlations and a moderated mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 58 with 5,000 bootstrap samples were conducted, controlling for age. (1) There was a significant negative correlation between sleep problems and well-being (r = -0.39, p < 0.001). (2) After controlling for age, anxiety mediated this association. (3) Resilience moderated this association. Specifically, the indirect effect was stronger in the high-resilience group (indirect effect = -0.15, 95% CI = [-0.23, -0.08]) than in the low-resilience group (indirect effect = -0.05, 95% CI = [-0.09, -0.03]). These findings provide preliminary evidence on how sleep problems are associated with well-being among Chinese children. They also suggest that anxiety and resilience may be relevant for future intervention studies, although longitudinal and experimental designs are needed to test whether targeting these factors can improve mental health.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -