Associations among Sleep, Physical Activity, and Psychosocial Functioning among Emerging Adults at University: An Examination of the Moderating Role of Gender and Athlete Status

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Despite extant research on associations among sleep, physical activity, and psychosocial functioning, few studies have explored whether these associations differ by gender and athlete status, specifically within the context of university. The aim of the present study was to examine gender and athlete status as moderators of the relationships among sleep, physical activity, and various indices of psychosocial functioning (e.g., mental health and alcohol use) among emerging adults. Participants were 187 students enrolled at a small, liberal arts university (Mean age = 20.40 years old, SD = 1.80, 65.2% female), who completed an online survey, as part of a larger study on psychosocial adjustment in university. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for key covariates such as demographics, mental illness, self-esteem, grit, and chronotype, indicated that athlete status moderated the association between sleep problems and self-esteem. Gender moderated the association between sleep disturbances and stress, as well as sleep disturbances and depression. Furthermore, both gender and athlete status moderated the association between alcohol use and social jetlag (i.e., the misalignment between one’s biological and social clocks). Findings have important implications for both athlete and non-athlete university students, coaches, and university administration by providing insight into how demands of university schedules are linked to sleep-wake timing, patterns of physical activity, and overall psychosocial adjustment during the critical developmental age period of emerging adulthood.

    Item Description
    Name(s)
    Author: Hom, Jamie L.
    Thesis advisor: Dubar, Royette Tavernier
    Thesis advisor: Barth, Hilary
    Thesis advisor: Robinson, Mike J. F.
    Date
    May 01, 2018
    Extent
    144 pages
    Language
    eng
    Genre
    Physical Form
    electronic
    Discipline
    Rights and Use
    In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted
    Digital Collection
    PID
    ir:2393