Academic stress, depressive symptoms, and bedtime procrastination: The paradoxical buffering role of eveningness in a moderated chain mediation model
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BackgroundAcademic involution in China has been linked to heightened stress among university students, yet the depressive symptoms as a central indicator of emotion regulation failure mechanisms associated with academic stress to sleep-related maladaptive behaviors remain unclear. This study investigates whether social media addiction and depressive symptoms sequentially mediate the academic stress and bedtime procrastination relationship while examining the moderating role of chronotype. MethodsA sample of 541 Chinese university students (46.2% male) completed self-report measures of academic stress (PAS), social media addiction (BSMAS), depressive symptoms (PHQ), bedtime procrastination (BPS), chronotype (rMEQ), and physical activity (PAQ-AD). Two Moderated chain mediation models were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent interaction terms (LMS) in R.ResultsAcademic stress was positively associated with bedtime procrastination through a sequential pathway: academic stress → social media addiction → depressive symptoms → bedtime procrastination (b = 0.016, 95% CI [0.01, 0.03], p = .003). Chronotype significantly moderated the depressive symptoms → bedtime procrastination path (b3 = –0.298, p < .001), such that the positive association was weaker for evening-type than morning-type students. The moderated mediation model explained 56% of the variance in bedtime procrastination, compared to 38% in the mediation-only model.LimitationsCross-sectional design precludes causal inferences; single-item measure of academic stress; findings primarily based on undergraduate students, limiting generalizability.ConclusionsAcademic stress contributes to bedtime procrastination via avoidant coping and affective dysregulation. Eveningness paradoxically buffers the depressive symptoms–bedtime procrastination link. Chronotype-informed interventions may be promising.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Authors: Yanyan He, Xiaoqian Yu
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212300062