Relationship between perceived stress and insomnia in recruits: chain-mediated effects of brooding and depression

Abstract

Objective To investigate the mediation effect of brooding and depression in perceived stress and insomnia among recruits. Methods A total of 928 recruits were selected from a unit in Hainan Province with cluster sampling. They were surveyed with Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Ruminative Responses Scale (RSS) and a demographic information questionnaire, and all the questionnaires were collected on the spot. Results ① The incidence of insomnia was 31.6% in the subjected recruits, with moderate or severe insomnia accounting for 6.5%. ② Perceived stress, depression, brooding and insomnia showed significant corrections with each other (r=0.310~0.702; P < 0.01). ③ The regression analysis results showed that perceived stress had direct and positive effects on predicted brooding, depression, and severity of insomnia (β=0.36, 0.70, 0.55; P < 0.001). ④ Perceived stress affected insomnia mainly through 3 mediation paths. The mediation effective size was 31.41% for brooding and 9.67% for depression, and the chain mediation effect size was 2.62% for brooding and depression. Conclusion Perceived stress can not only directly affect insomnia, but also indirectly through the mediation of brooding and depression in the recruits.

Keywords

• perceived stress
• insomnia
• brooding
• depression
• mediation