ABSTRACT Developing countries often have highly differentiated educational ecosystems, making it difficult for local students of educational leadership and management programs to connect their experiences to the global knowledge base on school effectiveness and improvement (SEI). Spread over a four-year period, this action research study contextualized the design and delivery of a graduate-level course in an educational leadership and management program in higher education settings in Pakistan. Using an adaptive-reflective approach and by engaging multiple sources of data in a mixed methods design, the course was successively improved to situate the stakeholder experiences in the global knowledge base on SEI. The results indicate that making explicit connections between indigenous and international discourse on SEI is necessary to contextualize learning. The study demonstrates action research as a fitting methodological paradigm and pedagogical tool to prepare would-be educational change agents who can effectively respond to and lead in the continuously changing landscape of SEI in the developing world contexts.

Wounded inner child and mental well-being are two salient components of psychological health among university students that influence their capacity to adapt to academic demands and the developmental challenges of emerging adulthood. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of wounded inner child experiences among students and to examine their relationship with levels of mental well-being. Employing a correlational quantitative design, the research sampled 272 undergraduates and assessed childhood-derived wounds and mental well-being using standardized instruments. Results indicate a significant negative association between wounded inner child scores and mental well-being (r = –0.469), with the dimensions of shame/low self-worth, suppressed anger, and feelings of unlovability contributing most strongly to reduced well-being. These findings suggest that higher levels of wounded inner child experiences are associated with lower emotional and psychological well-being. Overall, the study underscores the importance of counseling interventions that target emotional wound repair and the strengthening of adaptive capacities to promote student mental-health in higher education settings.

Higher education settings menus have low compliance with the Mediterranean Diet and high carbon and water footprint: a case study from Portugal, Croatia and Turkey

The escalating pace of academic pressures and social life have intensified mental health challenges among college students, including widespread anxiety and depression. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as exercise therapy, have gained prominence, with 24-Style Tai Chi emerging as a promising mind-body exercise due to its simplicity and potential mental health benefits. However, its effectiveness across various promotion approaches in higher education settings remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different 24-Style Tai Chi promotion methods (on-site, online, mixed, and independent practice) on college students' mental health, assess intervention efficacy, and identify an optimal promotion strategy. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 250 college students from Shandong Sport University was conducted over 8 weeks. Participants were allocated to On-Site Promotion Group (Offline-PG), Online Promotion Group (Offline-PG), Mixed Promotion Group (MPG), Independent Practice Group (IPG), or Control Group (CG). Mental health was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA (RM-ANOVA), and regression analysis to evaluate intervention effects and participation impacts. Offline-PG (90% attendance) and MPG (84% attendance) showed significant reductions in anxiety (SAS: Offline-PG 34.8 ± 6.3, MPG 36.2 ± 7.0, P < 0.01) and depression (SDS: Offline-PG 33.7 ± 6.9, MPG 34.9 ± 7.2, P < 0.05) by week 8. Online-PG (72% attendance) and MPG demonstrated significant self-efficacy improvements (GSES: Online-PG 36.1 ± 5.2, MPG 35.5 ± 5.6, P < 0.01). IPG (60% attendance) showed no significant changes. ANOVA revealed inter-group differences (SAS F = 6.45, P = 0.004; SDS F = 5.32, P = 0.009; GSES F = 6.74, P = 0.003), with RM-ANOVA confirming time effects. Regression analysis indicated participation strongly correlated with anxiety and depression reductions in Offline-PG (R = 0.62, P = 0.003) and MPG (R = 0.58, P = 0.004) and self-efficacy gains in Online-PG and MPG (R = 0.67, P = 0.002). 24-Style Tai Chi effectively improves college students' mental health, with on-site and mixed approaches excelling in reducing anxiety and depression, and online and mixed approaches enhancing self-efficacy. A hybrid promotion strategy is recommended to optimize participation and outcomes. Registration number: TCTR20250306005; https://thaiclinicaltrials.org/.

ABSTRACT Background Educational access is key in empowering persons living with intellectual disabilities. Nevertheless, internationally, Persons with Intellectual Disabilities continue to experience marginalization and discrimination in accessing higher education. Methods This study undertakes a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of three programmes for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, located in higher education settings in Chile, Ireland and Australia. The project adopted a critical realist perspective focusing on its notions of reality as stratified and the pre‐existence of social forms influencing the shapes of programmes, their outputs and outcomes. Findings The analysis indicates that programmes may be embedded differently within universities allowing for different levels of stability. Enrollment in such programmes can also be advantageous to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Awarding university‐endorsed certifications (Chile) or qualifications aligning with national standards (Ireland), upon programme completion, promote programme credibility and can justify costs associated with the programme. While university administrative efficiencies can facilitate inclusion they can also hinder the flexibility needed to cater to the varied range of needs of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Conclusions The SWOT analysis suggests that when universities adjust their academic environments, to be sensitive and inclusive of the needs of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, they have the capacity to assimilate and function with varying degrees of peer and staff support in such settings.

Drug abuse among university students is a problem that needs serious attention because it can damage health, reduce academic achievement, and hinder the future of the younger generation. University students are in a phase of self-discovery, making them susceptible to unhealthy environments and social circles. Therefore, comprehensive drug prevention efforts are needed in higher education settings. This article discusses various forms of drug prevention among students through education, character building, and active student involvement in positive activities. The method used is a literature review from various relevant sources. The results of the discussion show that drug prevention can be effective if supported by cooperation between the campus, families, and students. Education about the dangers of drugs, strengthening moral values, and creating a safe and healthy campus environment are important steps in preventing drug abuse. With continuous prevention efforts, it is hoped that students will be able to protect themselves from the influence of drugs and play a role as a healthy, accomplished, and responsible young generation.

This study developed a machine learning-based model to predict academic concentration selection among information systems students at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN). A survey of 125 students from the 2024 cohort revealed that 90% experienced difficulties in choosing a specialization, primarily due to limited information on course relevance, unclear academic pathways, and career uncertainty. While the survey provides a contextual background, the predictive model was trained using historical academic performance data from the 2021–2023 cohorts. The three classification algorithms, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were implemented following the CRISP-ML methodology. To address class imbalance in the dataset, the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) was applied, followed by hyperparameter tuning and feature selection. The Random Forest model demonstrated superior performance, achieving an accuracy of 78.08% on the 2021–2022 cohort data, outperforming Decision Tree and XGBoost across all experimental settings. This result highlights Random Forest's robustness in this context, particularly after the integration of SMOTE and optimization procedures. The main contribution of this study lies in the application of machine learning for academic pathway prediction in an Indonesian higher education setting, providing a data-driven decision support tool to assist students in making informed and personalized specialization choices.

Abstract Background In recent years, the incidence of depression among college students has shown a significant upward trend, becoming a serious public health issue. Although most universities have established counseling centers, their services primarily focus on post-event intervention, with notable deficiencies in universal prevention and education. Existing research indicates that integrating systematic mental health knowledge—particularly nursing education principles—into campus systems holds potential value for enhancing students' psychological resilience. However, the effectiveness and specific implementation pathways for systematically transforming mental health nursing education into scalable prevention strategies require further exploration. Therefore, this study aims to address the aforementioned gap and provide empirical evidence for developing a scientific and effective depression prevention model in higher education settings. By designing and implementing a structured mental health education program, the research evaluates its effectiveness in enhancing students' depression awareness, self-regulation abilities, and reducing depression risk within the university environment. Methods This study employed a cluster randomized controlled trial design. Four non-senior classes were randomly selected from a university and assigned to either an intervention group (2 classes, n = 98) or a control group (2 classes, n = 102). The intervention group received a 12-week structured mental health education program (2 academic hours per week), covering core knowledge about depression, stress management techniques, emotion regulation strategies, effective help-seeking pathways, and peer support skills. The control group received no structured intervention and maintained routine campus activities. All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Depression Cognitive Scale, and Self-Psychological Coping Ability Scale. Differences in post-intervention scores between groups were compared using covariance analysis and independent samples t-tests via SPSS 25.0 software. Results Data analysis demonstrated significant intervention effects post-program. PHQ-9 depression scores in the intervention group decreased significantly from pre-test (6.54 ± 3.21) to post-test (3.89 ± 2.45), while the control group's scores slightly increased from pre-test (6.48 ± 3.35) to post-test (6.91 ± 3.58). with a statistically significant difference between groups at post-test (t = -7.632, p&amp;lt;.001). Additionally, the intervention group demonstrated higher scores on the Depression Cognitive Scale (post-test: intervention group (42.15 ± 5.62) vs. control group (33.78 ± 6.91), p&amp;lt;.01) and the Self-Psychological Coping Ability Scale (post-test scores: intervention group (38.90 ± 4.13) vs. control group (31.45 ± 5.87), p&amp;lt;.001). Findings indicate that this mental health education program effectively alleviates depressive symptoms among students while significantly enhancing their depression-related cognitive levels and self-psychological coping abilities. Discussion The findings confirm that integrating systematic mental health care education into the higher education system constitutes an effective primary prevention strategy. This approach not only significantly reduces students' depression risk but also empowers them by enhancing psychological self-help and mutual support capabilities, holding significant public health implications. This model provides an actionable pathway for shifting university depression prevention efforts from reactive counseling to proactive intervention. Future research should conduct long-term follow-ups across broader university samples to validate the sustainability of these effects. Additionally, exploring blended online-offline educational models and institutionalizing peer support volunteer training mechanisms could further expand the reach and impact of this prevention strategy.

Abstract Background The prevalence of mental health issues among adolescents continues to rise, significantly impairing academic performance and overall well-being. While big data technologies—characterized by multi-source data integration, precise risk identification, and dynamic tracking—have demonstrated potential in public health and educational management, their application in student mental health lacks systematic quantitative evaluation. To establish a scientific, efficient, and precise intervention framework that enables early risk detection, personalized support, and real-time outcome monitoring, a big data–enabled precision intervention model is proposed. By integrating multi-source data such as psychological questionnaires and academic performance records, the study quantitatively assesses the model’s effectiveness in improving students’ mental health, offering a practical and implementable solution for school-based mental health education. Methods A total of 120 students aged 13–18 from four secondary schools (Symptom Checklist-90 [SCL-90] total score ≥ 160; excluding severe psychiatric or physical disorders) were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 60) or a control group (n = 60). Groups showed no significant differences in age, gender, or baseline psychological measures (p&amp;gt;.05). The intervention group received a big data–enabled precision intervention: multi-source data (psychological assessments, campus smart-card logs, academic platforms) were collected and analyzed via machine learning to build a risk-prediction model, which classified students into risk tiers and triggered tailored interventions—low-risk: online psychoeducation; medium-risk: weekly one-on-one counseling; high-risk: plus group activities. The control group received standard care (two semesterly group lectures and on-demand counseling). Assessments using SCL-90, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Resilience Scale (RS) were conducted pre-intervention, at 3 and 6 months, and at 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, independent-samples t-tests, and chi-square tests (SPSS 26.0); p&amp;lt;.05 indicated statistical significance. Results Within-group analyses showed that the intervention group exhibited significant reductions in SCL-90, SAS, and SDS scores (p&amp;lt;.05) and increased RS scores by month 3; improvements further deepened by month 6 and remained stable at follow-up. The control group showed only a minor SCL-90 reduction at month 6, with no other significant changes. Between-group comparisons at month 6 revealed significantly lower SCL-90 (132.5 ± 18.6 vs. 158.3 ± 20.1; t = 8.76, p&amp;lt;.001), SAS (37.2 ± 4.5 vs. 45.9 ± 4.7; t = 9.12, p&amp;lt;.001), and SDS scores (38.6 ± 4.8 vs. 47.3 ± 5.1; t = 8.95, p&amp;lt;.001), and higher RS scores (65.8 ± 5.3 vs. 56.2 ± 5.6; t = 8.53, p&amp;lt;.001) in the intervention group. Clinical response rate was significantly higher (83.3% vs. 46.7%; χ2 = 22.89, p&amp;lt;.001). Additionally, the big data–based risk prediction achieved 89.2% accuracy, markedly outperforming traditional manual screening (62.5%). Discussion The big data–enabled precision intervention model demonstrates significant efficacy in improving adolescent mental health, surpassing conventional approaches. Its core advantages lie in accurate risk identification through multi-source data integration, personalized interventions aligned with individual needs, and adaptive strategy adjustment via continuous monitoring—collectively enhancing intervention efficiency. The model integrates seamlessly into existing school management systems and reduces reliance on human resources, providing a scalable foundation for intelligent, evidence-based mental health services in education. Future work may extend the approach to primary and higher education settings and incorporate neurophysiological (e.g., EEG) or behavioral monitoring to deepen mechanistic understanding, facilitating standardization and large-scale deployment.

ABSTRACT Respect is a foundational moral and social value, yet its conceptualisation by and about children and young people remains underexplored. This systematic qualitative literature review examines how respect and disrespect are theorised, defined or conceptualised in relation to children and young people, and the extent to which their perspectives are represented in schools, higher education, care and community settings. Guided by PRISMA protocols, 10 databases were searched, yielding 814 records; 26 peer‐reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. Five overarching themes emerged: (1) Recognition and moral worth , emphasising respect as a universal entitlement and basis for rights; (2) Relational and reciprocal dynamics , highlighting mutuality, dialogue and authentic engagement; (3) Respect as a behavioural , emotional and cultural construct , shaped by norms, authority and gendered expectations; (4) Educational and developmental value , positioning respect as a teachable moral and epistemic virtue; and (5) Social justice , inclusion and power , critiquing top‐down, punitive respect agendas that alienate young people. Across contexts, respect was most often conceptualised as relational and care‐oriented, expressed through attentiveness, fairness and recognition of individuality. Disrespect, conversely, was linked to misrecognition, exclusion and structural inequalities. Future research should recognise young people as capable of contributing to theoretical and practical understandings of moral principles such as respect.

ABSTRACT Poor ambient air quality threatens public health, ecosystem integrity, and the learning environment in higher education settings. This study addresses the limited understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of air pollution within university campuses. It explores how significantly air quality relates across Sokoine University of Agriculture campuses to evaluate its compliance with established standards. The study applies a correlational design to quantify mass concentrations (µg/m 3 ) of particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ), PM ≤10 µm (PM 10 ), formaldehyde (HCHO), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) using a WP6930S‐100 portable detector. HCHO, TVOCs, and PM 2 . 5 and PM 10 were selected as key monitoring indicators due to their diverse emission sources and well‐documented adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Air pollutants have been measured across 13 indoor and outdoor emission‐prone microenvironments at the Solomon Mahlangu and Edward Moringe campuses. The device has been pre‐checked under stable indoor conditions to verify repeatability, with stabilization periods of 3–10 min observed before logging at a height of 1.5 m. Results show that measured pollutant mass concentrations at all monitored sites comply with limits set by Tanzania, the East African Community (EAC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), with minor exceedances in PM 2.5 concentrations at the Edward Moringe campuse's canteen relative to WHO guidelines. Pearson's correlation reveals a very strong weekday‐weekend afternoon relationship ( r ≤ 0.97), indicating consistent PM 2 . 5 , PM 10 , HCHO, and TVOCs patterns across different days and therefore rejecting significant campus‐level variability. The study enhances understanding of Sustainable Development Goal 11 by providing evidence‐based insights to air pollution monitoring in university‐built environments. Results carry uncertainty due to the limitations; co‐location with reference instruments is recommended.

In multilingual educational contexts, code-switching is frequently observed in oral academic tasks, yet its role in speaking assessment remains contested. This study investigated the effects of codeswitching on the speaking performance of pre-service English teachers during classroom oral presentations in a Philippine higher education setting. Employing an integrative mixed-methods design, the study examined the frequency and functions of code-switching, its influence on fluency, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, students’ perceptions of its use, and performance differences across year levels. Quantitative data were obtained from rubric-based speaking assessments adapted from the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Welch’s independent samples t-test. Qualitative data were drawn from classroom observations and a focus group discussion and analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that students employed codeswitching strategically to clarify complex ideas, sustain fluency, and engage the audience, with minimal negative impact on grammatical accuracy. Although third-year students obtained slightly higher mean speaking scores than second-year students, the difference was not statistically significant. Qualitative findings further revealed that students perceived code-switching as a facilitative communicative resource that reduced anxiety and reflected bilingual identity, while remaining mindful of its appropriate use in formal contexts. The study argues that code-switching should be recognized as a legitimate component of communicative competence and calls for contextsensitive speaking assessment frameworks in multilingual English language classrooms.

This study addresses the growing concern of academic stress among university students in higher education settings. General Background: Academic stress has become a prominent psychological issue affecting students’ well-being and academic functioning. Specific Background: Psychological resilience factors such as adversity quotient and external resources such as social support are frequently associated with students’ capacity to manage academic demands. Knowledge Gap: However, limited empirical studies have simultaneously examined the relationship between adversity quotient and social support in explaining academic stress within the same analytical model. Aims: This research aims to analyze the relationship between adversity quotient, social support, and academic stress among university students. Results: The findings indicate a significant relationship between adversity quotient and academic stress, as well as between social support and academic stress. Simultaneously, adversity quotient and social support demonstrate a significant association with academic stress levels. Novelty: The study provides an integrated empirical examination of internal resilience and external social resources in relation to academic stress within a single quantitative framework. Implications: These findings highlight the importance of strengthening students’ resilience capacity and social support systems to address academic stress in higher education contexts. Keywords: Adversity Quotient, Social Support, Academic Stress, University Students, Psychological Resilience Key Findings Highlights: Higher resilience capacity is associated with lower levels of study-related tension. External relational resources show significant association with psychological pressure in academic settings. Internal and external factors jointly demonstrate statistical relevance in predicting students’ stress levels.

General Background: Early adulthood is a developmental phase marked by emotional challenges, particularly following romantic relationship dissolution. Specific Background: Difficulties in emotion regulation and self-acceptance often hinder psychological recovery during this period. Knowledge Gap: Previous studies largely examined resilience independently, leaving limited evidence on its simultaneous association with emotional intelligence and self-acceptance among early adults experiencing breakup. Aims: This study aims to examine the relationships between emotional intelligence, self-acceptance, and resilience in early adulthood after breakup experiences. Results: Findings indicate significant positive associations among emotional intelligence, self-acceptance, and resilience, suggesting that individuals with stronger emotional regulation and higher self-acceptance demonstrate greater adaptive capacity. Novelty: This study integrates emotional intelligence and self-acceptance within a unified resilience framework among early adults post-breakup, providing empirical evidence in an underexplored context. Implications: The results highlight the importance of psychosocial interventions focusing on emotional regulation and self-acceptance to support resilience development in young adults. These findings offer practical relevance for counseling services and mental health programs in higher education settings. Keywords: Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, Self Acceptance, Early Adulthood, Breakup Experience Key Findings Highlights: Emotional intelligence shows a strong association with adaptive coping capacity. Self acceptance contributes meaningfully to psychological recovery. Integrated personal resources support adjustment after relationship loss.

ABSTRACT The authors examine the factors that shape the continued use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in engineering education, drawing on qualitative insights from faculty members at three Palestinian universities. Their analysis reveals seven interconnected themes influencing XR adoption: contextual conditions, social support, features of XR tools, individual dispositions, pedagogical innovation, future-oriented thinking, and overall attitudes towards technology. The findings highlight the importance of sustained professional development, dependable technical support and adequate infrastructure in enabling long-term XR integration. They also show that XR capabilities such as interactivity, visualisation and simulation strengthen instructional effectiveness and enhance student engagement. Faculty participants further stress the value of collegial collaboration, institutional backing and alignment between XR applications and learner-centred pedagogies. The study offers a nuanced understanding of how XR technologies become embedded within complex educational environments and provides actionable insights for policymakers and educational leaders aiming to expand immersive technologies in resource-limited higher education settings.

ABSTRACT In UK universities, racism and microaggressions experienced by minoritised employees and their inclinations to raise informal and/or formal complaints, warrants further scrutiny due to the persistence of racism within society and Higher Education settings. Drawing from Critical Race Theory and adopting an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 30 minoritised employees from ten UK universities. Our findings demonstrate that participants’ experiences ranged from othering to unequal access to professional advancement, leading to perceptions of systemic racism. Fear of reprisals, being misperceived as problematic employees, and anticipated negative consequences for employment security, generated reluctance to take recourse in complaint procedures. Individuals who escalated concerns found that they were not believed, exacerbating their marginalisation. The proclivity for organisations to prioritise institutional reputation elicited feelings of pessimism that anything would change. We propose co-constructed recommendations for improvement, calling for scholars to further probe their potential for facilitating anti-racism within universities.

This study is grounded in the context of 21st-century education, which is marked by increasing diversity. Such conditions require students at both school and university levels to develop tolerance as a key multicultural competence. Previous research indicates that students’ tolerance levels remain moderate, with some showing low awareness in respecting differences, raising concerns about potential social conflict. To address this challenge, the present study introduces a psychological guidance approach as an intervention model to strengthen the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor dimensions of tolerance. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design was applied to 66 students from a teacher education faculty in Bandung. ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (F = 37.944; p &lt; .001), accompanied by a large effect size (r ≈ 0.814). These outcomes demonstrate that the psychological guidance model effectively enhances several indicators of tolerance, including persistence in managing differences, appreciation of diversity, and equal, non-discriminatory treatment of others. The study concludes that psychological guidance is a promising strategy for fostering tolerance in higher education settings. Future research should broaden the sample to include multiple institutions and employ qualitative methods to further explore the dynamics of tolerance development. Keywords: psychological guidance, model, student, tolerance

This research examines the effect of transformational leadership, organizational culture, and the quality of human resources on the effectiveness of achieving higher education institutions' missions, with group cohesion as a moderating variable. The study was conducted at IAIN Madura, employing a quantitative methodology, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were gathered through structured questionnaires distributed to academic and administrative staff. The results demonstrate that transformational leadership, organizational culture, and human resource quality significantly and positively influence institutional mission achievement. Furthermore, group cohesion enhances these relationships, highlighting its essential role in fostering a cohesive and goal-oriented organizational climate. These findings underscore the necessity of strategic leadership and a robust organizational culture in strengthening institutional performance. The study offers practical implications for academic leaders, emphasizing the importance of building group cohesion to amplify the effectiveness of leadership, organizational culture, and human resource quality. Future research is recommended to extend these findings by investigating the dynamics in different higher education settings and incorporating longitudinal approaches to explore the temporal impact of these variables.

Abstract Personality development surfaced as another important area of concern for higher education and professional training settings. This was mainly due to the realization that "no longer could exceling merely in the academic domain guarantee personal effectiveness and social adaptability together with employment potential." Notably, the emergence of the intelligence quotient brought forward the significance of "the ability to perceive, monitor, and use effectively the emotions within oneself and in relation to those with whom we interact—a type of social intelligence learned through our experiences in interactions with others"—defined as Emotional Intelligence (EI). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to examine the impact of "the practice of the complex skills of self-perception within oneself and relation to others, control of one's own emotional responses to oneself and those with whom we interact"—dimensions of EI on the overall development of the student's personality during higher learning settings through the quantitative descriptive approach of conducting the study. Statistical analysis clearly reveals the presence of a statistically positive relationship between EI and the overall development of the student's personality. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Personality Development, Higher Education, Soft Skills, Emotional Competence

Background: Sleep-related problems, particularly insomnia and sleep disturbances, have become increasingly prevalent. However, few studies have specifically explored these issues among vocational college students. Aim: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of insomnia and its relationship with sleep disturbances in Chinese vocational college students. Setting: Two vocational colleges in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2025 using cluster sampling. A total of 1,993 students completed the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), the Espie Sleep Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) and a self-designed questionnaire. Results: In all, 48.02% of students reported insomnia symptoms in the past month. Higher insomnia severity was significantly associated with three SDQ dimensions: sleep restlessness/agitation (t = 7.466, p &lt; 0.001), mental overactivity (t = 9.670, p &lt; 0.001) and preoccupation with insomnia consequences (t = 9.509, p &lt; 0.001). Other significant factors included being female (t = −3.582, p &lt; 0.001), being a freshman (t = −5.782, p &lt; 0.001), dissatisfaction with their academic major (t = −4.731, p &lt; 0.001), alcohol use (t = 2.654, p = 0.007) and engaging in fewer than 7 h per week of extracurricular study or reading (t = −2.328, p = 0.020). Conclusion: Insomnia in vocational college students is influenced by multiple factors and is strongly linked to sleep disturbances. Contribution: This study provides empirical evidence on insomnia in this population and offers insights to guide targeted interventions in higher education settings.