The Effect of Perceived Stress on Insomnia Symptoms Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background: College students' insomnia symptoms is a topic of growing interest and studies have begun to explore the factors that influence college students' insomnia symptoms. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and college students' insomnia symptoms, as well as the chain mediating roles of fear of missing out and mobile phone dependence, and the moderating roles of environmental sensitivity. Methods: In this study, 748 college students (M = 20.59, SD = 2.65) as a sample for cross-sectional study. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire, Brief Fear of Missing Out Scale, Self-Rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, Athens Insomnia Scale and Highly Sensitive Child Scale were used. Results: (1) Perceived stress significantly positively predicts the insomnia symptoms of college students; (2) Fear of missing out and mobile phone dependence play a chain mediating role between perceived stress and the insomnia symptoms of college students; (3) environmental sensitivity moderated the pathways of mobile phone dependence on insomnia symptoms. Conclusion: We revealed the underlying mechanisms between perceived stress and insomnia symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of interventions for fear of missing out and mobile phone dependence, as well as the role of environmental sensitivity in influencing insomnia symptoms.