Associations between neuroticism, subjective sleep quality, and depressive symptoms across the first year of college

Abstract

Objective Examine neuroticism’s impact on the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep quality during the college transition. Participants First-year students (N = 302) from a southeastern university in the USA. Methods A longitudinal cross-lagged panel model assessed direct and indirect effects between self-reported sleep and depressed mood. Results Higher neuroticism was directly associated with both greater depressed mood and sleep quality. Poorer sleep quality was associated with depressive symptoms at baseline (β = 0.250, [95% CI = 0.123,0.362]) and during spring semester (β = 0.261, [95% CI = 0.126,0.383]). Baseline depressive symptoms predicted sleep quality during fall semester (β = 0.140, [95% CI = 0.031, 0.247]), and fall semester sleep quality predicted spring semester depression symptoms (β = 0.106, [95% CI = 0.007,0.201]). Discussion Neuroticism is an indicator of emotional distress and disrupted sleep upon college entry. Furthermore, there was evidence for both within time-point and prospective associations between sleep quality and depression symptoms albeit at different times throughout the first year of college.