Emotional exhaustion and sleep problems in university students: Does mental toughness matter?

Abstract

The aim of this two-wave prospective study was to examine the relationship between emotional exhaustion, mental toughness, and sleep problems. A sample of 227 Chinese university students completed measures of these variables at baseline and then again three months later. When the prospective data were examined, sleep problems at baseline predicted increases in emotional exhaustion over the study period, but not vice versa. In addition, mental toughness at baseline predicted increases in emotional exhaustion via sleep problems at baseline. Finally, mental toughness did not moderate the relationship between emotional exhaustion and sleep problems. These findings provide evidence that sleep problems are involved in the development of emotional exhaustion over time. The findings also provide initial evidence that mental toughness plays a significant role in preventing emotional exhaustion by decreasing sleep problems.