Sleep and Insomnia in College Students: A Network Analysis Study

Insomnia is a common concern among college students, frequently arising from complex psychological interactions. This study employed a network analysis approach to examine the psychological markers associated with insomnia and to identify key variables differentiating students with and without insomnia. A total of 391 undergraduate students from the University of Isfahan, Iran, were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling. Based on the Lynch Sleep Questionnaire, participants were categorized into insomnia (n = 120) and non-insomnia (n = 114) groups. Psychological assessments included the Big Five Personality Questionnaire, the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and the Cognitive Distortion Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, and network analyses via SPSS, Ucinet, and Social Network Visualizer. Findings revealed that self-blame, all-or-nothing thinking, and overgeneralization were central cognitive distortions within the insomnia network. In contrast, acceptance emerged as a prominent emotion regulation strategy among students without insomnia. Comparative analyses of centrality indices—degree, information, and betweenness—highlighted distinct psychological network structures across the two groups. These results underscore the importance of addressing maladaptive cognitive patterns and fostering adaptive emotion regulation strategies to alleviate insomnia symptoms, offering valuable insights for targeted mental health interventions in academic populations.