COVID-19 Stressors and Poor Sleep Quality: The Mediating Role of Rumination and the Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies

Background The global spread of COVID-19 has brought immense psychological distress and sleep problems to those affected. This study examined the mediating role of rumination in the direct association between COVID-19 stressors and poor sleep quality and the moderating roles of emotion regulation strategies. Method A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted in China during the early outbreak of the pandemic. A total of 1106 Chinese college students ( M age = 19.58, SD = 1.61) completed measures of COVID-19 stressors, rumination, emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and poor sleep quality. Results COVID-19 stressors were positively associated with poor sleep quality ( β = .431, p < .001), and rumination partially mediated this association. The mediation effect accounted for 70.93% of the total effect of COVID-19 stressors on poor sleep quality. Moreover, cognitive reappraisal moderated the relation between COVID-19 stressors and rumination, and expressive suppression moderated the association between rumination and poor sleep quality. Conclusion Rumination could be a mechanism by which COVID-19 stressors are linked with poor sleep quality. Cognitive reappraisal might provide desired benefits to improving sleep quality while expressive suppression may do the opposite. Implications for future steps and health interventions are discussed.