The challenges of university life, particularly for first-year students, are often
accompanied by the emergence of sleep problems. While previous research
has highlighted social factors, such as socioeconomic status, the impact of
childhood unpredictability (e.g., inconsistent or unpredictable experiences with
parents) remains underexplored. Additionally, individual differences in this
relationship are not well understood. This study investigated how childhood
unpredictability influences sleep quality using a longitudinal design, and the
protective role of stress mindset in this relationship. The current study enrolled
992 first-year college students from a university in Beijing, China. 992 students
(67.5% female; Mage = 18.32, SDage = 0.62) participated in the baseline
assessment. Of these participants, 698 students gave valid responses 6 months
later. The participants were instructed to read the instructions and complete the
questionnaire which included demographic questions, childhood
unpredictability, perceived stress, sleep quality and stress mindset. The results
revealed that there was also a significant indirect effect of childhood
unpredictability on poor sleep quality through increased perceived stress. In
addition, the results suggested that the interaction between childhood
unpredictability and stress mindset showed significant effects on perceived
stress, which was further associated with poorer sleep quality. Simple slope
tests suggested that the association between childhood unpredictability and
perceived stress was more pronounced among participants with a stronger
stress-is-enhancing mindset than those with a weaker stress-is-enhancing
mindset, while those with a stress-is-enhancing mindset overall reported lower
levels of stress. Our findings underscore the significant longitudinal impact of
childhood unpredictability on sleep health among first-year university students.
They also reveal the underlying mechanisms of perceived stress and highlight
the protective role of a stress-is-enhancing mindset, which influences indirect
pathways. Future research could explore the potential of cultivating a stress-isenhancing
mindset to mitigate the negative impacts of childhood
unpredictability.