{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T14:51:05Z","timestamp":1778251865593,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763683200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mental health issues such as insomnia may exhibit unique interaction patterns among high-stress populations, with educational attainment potentially playing a distinctive role. However, the current mental health status of researchers at the forefront of scientific advancement has not garnered widespread attention. This study tested whether anxiety and psychological resilience jointly mediate the association between insomnia and depressive symptoms among Chinese researchers, and whether these pathways are moderated by educational attainment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among researchers from 19 provinces in China between September and November 2023, and valid responses from 645 participants were analyzed using the Insomnia Severity Index, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 as a measure of generalized anxiety symptoms, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Connor\u2013Davidson Resilience Scale. Partial correlation and chain mediation analysis were applied to examine the relationships between insomnia, anxiety, resilience, and depression, while multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed differences between researchers with and without doctoral degrees.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The proportion meeting the ISI screening threshold (\u2265 8) was higher in researchers aged \u2265 40 and in those with doctoral degrees. In mediation models, insomnia severity demonstrated a direct association with depressive symptoms (effect: 38.31%) and indirect associations via anxiety and resilience (total effect: 61.69%). Specifically, the chain mediation effect formed by anxiety and resilience showed a suppressing effect of 0.66%, while the independent mediating effects of anxiety and resilience were 64.36% (enhancing effect) and 2.01% (suppressing effect), respectively. Multi-group SEM analyses further revealed stronger anxiety-resilience-depression linkages in researchers without doctoral degrees, highlighting their heightened vulnerability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Overall, insomnia is centrally associated with depression among researchers through a dual pathway involving anxiety and resilience, with the protective role of resilience being more complex among non-doctoral researchers, underscoring the need for targeted interventions such as sleep hygiene programs and resilience training to mitigate mental health risks in academic settings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1709399","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T10:51:27Z","timestamp":1763722287000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Insomnia and depression in Chinese academic researchers: mediation by anxiety and resilience with differences among researchers by educational level"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Lin","family":"Han","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuanrui","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Botao","family":"Gong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tingfeng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Puqiao","family":"Wen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mingjun","family":"Zhong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qinshuo","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xudong","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e338","DOI":"10.3346\/jkms.2023.38.e338","article-title":"Mediating role of viral anxiety and insomnia in relationship between work-related stress and depression among cold chain workers during COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"38","author":"Xinjie","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Korean Med Sci"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1037\/1076-8998.1.1.27","article-title":"Adverse health effects of high-effort\/low-reward conditions","volume":"1","author":"Siegrist","year":"1996","journal-title":"J Occup Health Psychol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.919176","article-title":"Association between sleep disturbance and mental health of healthcare workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"13","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nbt.4089","article-title":"Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education","volume":"36","author":"Evans","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nat Biotechnol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/d41586-019-03459-7","article-title":"PhDs: the tortuous truth","volume":"575","author":"Woolston","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2011.01.011","article-title":"Insomnia as a predictor of depression: a meta-analytic evaluation of longitudinal epidemiological studies","volume":"135","author":"Baglioni","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2018.10.006","article-title":"Insomnia as a predictor of mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"43","author":"Hertenstein","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sleep Med Rev"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2018.05.006","article-title":"Mechanisms underlying the association between insomnia, anxiety, and depression in adolescence: Implications for behavioral sleep interventions","volume":"63","author":"Blake","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clin Psychol Rev"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/bne0000128","article-title":"The bidirectional relation between emotional reactivity and sleep: From disruption to recovery","volume":"130","author":"Altena","year":"2016","journal-title":"Behav Neurosci"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5665\/sleep.2810","article-title":"A systematic review assessing bidirectionality between sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression","volume":"36","author":"Alvaro","year":"2013","journal-title":"Sleep"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2016.12.012","article-title":"Psychometric evaluation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener GAD-7, based on a large German general population sample","volume":"210","author":"Hinz","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.1002\/da.10113","article-title":"Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)","volume":"18","author":"Connor","year":"2003","journal-title":"Depress Anxiety"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/smi.3136","article-title":"The role of resilience in depression and anxiety symptoms: A three-wave cross-lagged study","volume":"38","author":"Lau","year":"2022","journal-title":"Stress Health"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13548506.2021.1955137","article-title":"Resilience moderates the relationship between the psychological impact of COVID-19 and anxiety","volume":"28","author":"Traunm\u00fcller","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol Health Med"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1250623","article-title":"Examining the impact of perceived stress, anxiety, and resilience on depression among medical staff after COVID-19 quarantine: a chain mediation analysis","volume":"11","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101531","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2021.101531","article-title":"Structural validity of the Insomnia Severity Index: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"60","author":"Manzar","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sleep Med Rev"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1016\/S1389-9457(00)00065-4","article-title":"Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index as an outcome measure for insomnia research","volume":"2","author":"Bastien","year":"2001","journal-title":"Sleep Med"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.166.10.1092","article-title":"A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7","volume":"166","author":"Spitzer","year":"2006","journal-title":"Arch Intern Med"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0269881114525672","article-title":"Psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Inventory in a Canadian sample","volume":"28","author":"Henderson","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Psychopharmacol"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.13075\/ijomeh.1896.02104","article-title":"Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in a non-clinical sample of employees during pandemic crisis","volume":"36","author":"Basi\u0144ska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Occup Med Environ Health"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x","article-title":"The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure","volume":"16","author":"Kroenke","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Gen Intern Med"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113792","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2021.113792","article-title":"Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) data contributed by 13,829 respondents to a national survey about COVID-19 restrictions in Australia","volume":"298","author":"Stocker","year":"2021","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"92","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-023-04580-8","article-title":"Psychometric evaluation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale among Iranian population","volume":"23","author":"Sharif Nia","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2019.10.018","article-title":"Psychometric properties of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) in Chinese undergraduates and depressive patients","volume":"261","author":"Cheng","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B25","volume-title":"Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach","author":"Hayes","year":"2013"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1989.03430110069030","article-title":"Epidemiologic study of sleep disturbances and psychiatric disorders. An opportunity for prevention","volume":"262","author":"Ford","year":"1989","journal-title":"Jama"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(22)00879-0","article-title":"Insomnia","volume":"400","author":"Perlis","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"360","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-023-04873-y","article-title":"The impact of insomnia on anxiety and depression: a longitudinal study of non-clinical young Chinese adult males","volume":"23","author":"Mao","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-016-1075-3","article-title":"Insomnia and the risk of depression: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies","volume":"16","author":"Li","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1038\/s41386-019-0411-y","article-title":"Sleep, insomnia, and depression","volume":"45","author":"Riemann","year":"2020","journal-title":"Neuropsychopharmacology"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2022.11.021","article-title":"Insomnia is a key risk factor for persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms: A 12-month longitudinal cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"322","author":"Meaklim","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(22)00877-7","article-title":"Circadian rhythms and disorders of the timing of sleep","volume":"400","author":"Meyer","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2022.10.047","article-title":"Chain mediating effect of insomnia, depression, and anxiety on the relationship between nightmares and cognitive deficits in adolescents","volume":"322","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9577","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-58774-5","article-title":"The mediation effects of nightmares and depression between insomnia and suicidal ideation in young adults","volume":"14","author":"Guo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101556","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2021.101556","article-title":"Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials","volume":"60","author":"Scott","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sleep Med Rev"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(17)30328-0","article-title":"The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS): a randomised controlled trial with mediation analysis","volume":"4","author":"Freeman","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2023.5060","article-title":"Components and delivery formats of cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia in adults: A systematic review and component network meta-analysis","volume":"81","author":"Furukawa","year":"2024","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.7326\/M14-2841","article-title":"Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"163","author":"Trauer","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e36307","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0036307","article-title":"Science PhD career preferences: levels, changes, and advisor encouragement","volume":"7","author":"Sauermann","year":"2012","journal-title":"PloS One"},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2010.03.003","article-title":"Resilience and mental health","volume":"30","author":"Davydov","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clin Psychol Rev"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"597","DOI":"10.2147\/PRBM.S187295","article-title":"A research on sources of university faculty occupational stress: a Chinese case study","volume":"11","author":"Meng","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol Res Behav Manage"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12166","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-62984-2","article-title":"Research on the mechanism of academic stress on occupational burnout in Chinese universities","volume":"14","author":"Cao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0295218","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0295218","article-title":"Fatigue and resilience in Master\u2019s and PhD students in the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil: A cross-sectional study","volume":"18","author":"Val\u00f3ta","year":"2023","journal-title":"PloS One"},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5664\/jcsm.7100","article-title":"Lack of resilience is related to stress-related sleep reactivity, hyperarousal, and emotion dysregulation in insomnia disorder","volume":"14","author":"Palagini","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Clin Sleep Med"},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.128.1.3","article-title":"Rethinking individualism and collectivism: evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses","volume":"128","author":"Oyserman","year":"2002","journal-title":"Psychol Bull"},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2016.01222","article-title":"Development of the tendency to use emotion regulation strategies and their relation to depressive symptoms in chinese adolescents","volume":"7","author":"Sai","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291722000472","article-title":"Improved resilience following digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia protects against insomnia and depression one year later","volume":"53","author":"Cheng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.840945","article-title":"Associations among workplace bullying, resilience, insomnia severity, and subjective wellbeing in chinese resident doctors","volume":"13","author":"Zhou","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2023.1124570","article-title":"The relationship between psychological resilience and depression among the diabetes patients under the background of \u201cdynamic zero COVID-19\u201d: the mediating role of stigma and the moderating role of medication burden","volume":"11","author":"Mei","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.861674","article-title":"Occupational burnout and productivity loss: A cross-sectional study among academic university staff","volume":"10","author":"Amer","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106697","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2021.106697","article-title":"The association between mental health and shift work: Findings from the Atlantic PATH study","volume":"150","author":"Sweeney","year":"2021","journal-title":"Prev Med"},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"24097","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-10523-y","article-title":"Effect of work schedule flexibility as a moderator in the relationship between job stress and wellbeing in pharmacy practice","volume":"15","author":"Rehman","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnurstu.2025.105112","article-title":"Effectiveness of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in nurses with shift work sleep disorder: Results of a randomized controlled trial","volume":"169","author":"Br\u00fcckner","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Stud"},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"116208","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2024.116208","article-title":"The prevalence of mental health conditions and effectiveness of psychological interventions among university students in Italy: A systematic literature review","volume":"342","author":"Caldarelli","year":"2024","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1709399\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T10:51:27Z","timestamp":1763722287000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1709399\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"references-count":54,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1709399"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1709399","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-0640"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-0640","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"article-number":"1709399"}}