Sleep and Perceived Stress: An Exploratory Mediation Analysis of the Role of Self-Control and Resilience among University Students

Background: High levels of stress are frequent in university education, and a lack of sleep has been reported to make students more vulnerable to stress. The mechanisms through which sleep harms students have not been sufficiently clarified; therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-control and resilience in the relationship between sleep quality and duration and perceived stress. Methods: Of 32 first-year college students, 21 (78%) were women, with a mean age of 18.47 (±0.84). They responded to a self-administered survey that included questions on stress, resilience, and sleep quality and recorded their daily sleep duration using a wristband for six days. Results: Perceived stress was significantly correlated with resilience (r = −0.63), self-control (r = −0.46), sleep duration (r = −0.35), and lower sleep quality (r = 0.57). Path analysis revealed that self-control and resilience were partially mediated by sleep quality (R(2) = 0.62; p < 0.01) and completely mediated by sleep duration (R(2) = 0.46; p < 0.01). In both models, self-control had a direct effect on resilience and had a good-fit index. Conclusion: Being resilient seems to play a mediating role in the relationship between sleep and perceived stress; this ability can be favored by self-control, which is directly influenced by sleep.