The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 497-503.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.03.018

• Treatise: Clinical Practice • Previous Articles    

The mediating role of sleep quality in adolescents between rumination and depressive symptoms

Qiaolin ZHANG,Guihong XU,Cheng HANG,Mingming DING,Lamei YU()   

  1. Department of Psychiatry,No. 3 People's Hospital of Huai'an City,Huai'an 223000,Jiangsu,China
  • Received:2025-09-28 Online:2026-02-10 Published:2026-02-09
  • Contact: Lamei YU E-mail:3938308538@qq.com

Abstract:

Objective To explore the mediating role of sleep quality in adolescents between rumination and depressive symptoms. Methods From October 2023 to September 2024, 300 adolescents were selected for investigation and analysis by simple random sampling. All subjects were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Redundancy Response Scale (RRS-C), and the Center for Epidemiological Investigation Depression Scale (CES-D). Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the correlations among the CES-D depression symptoms, PSQI sleep quality, and RRS-C rumination scores in adolescents. Hierarchical regression analysis was utilized to explore the influencing factors of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Furthermore, the mediating role of sleep quality in the relationship between rumination and depressive symptoms was tested using Model 4 of the mediation model from the SPSS Process program developed by Hayes. The significance of the mediating effect was examined using the Bootstrap sampling method. Results The PSQI, RRS-C and CES-D scores of 300 adolescents were (12.06 ± 2.14) points, (34.03 ± 6.17) points and (24.30 ± 4.37) points respectively. The CES-D score was positively correlated with the RRS-C and PSQI scores (r = 0.513, P < 0.001; r = 0.526, P < 0.001), and the PSQI score was positively correlated with the RRS-C score (r = 0.440, P < 0.001). After controlling for confounding factors, the PSQI score could explain 51.3% of the CES-D score. After introducing the RRS-C score, the RRS-C score could explain 50.9% of the CES-D score. In the final model, gender, being an only child, suffering from school bullying, RRS-C score, and PSQI score entered the regression equation. The above influencing factors could explain 60.7% of the CES-D score of adolescents. Rumination could positively predict depressive symptoms and sleep quality. After increasing the mediating variable sleep quality, rumination and sleep quality had a positive predictive effect on depressive symptoms. The mediating effect of sleep quality between rumination and depressive symptoms in adolescents accounted for 31.64%. Conclusion There exists a significant association between rumination and depressive symptoms in adolescents, in which sleep quality serves as a mediating role. This suggests that focusing on and implementing combined interventions targeting both rumination and sleep quality may hold significant potential value in future research.

Key words: sleep quality, teenagers, rumination, depressive symptoms, mediating effect

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