COVID-19 worry, coping techniques, and sleep-related impairment

<b>Objective:</b> To examine associations among college students' worry about COVID-19, use of healthy and unhealthy coping techniques, and sleep-related impairment. <b>Participants:</b> The sample consisted of 366 undergraduate students (<i>M</i>_age =19.48 ± 1.76 years, 63.4% women; 62.6% college freshman). <b>Methods:</b> University students completed a series of questionnaires. <b>Results:</b> COVID-19 worry significantly predicted greater sleep-related impairment (β = .27, <i>t</i> = 5.23, <i>p</i> < .001). Students who implemented unhealthy coping strategies experienced more sleep-related impairment (β = .24, <i>t</i> = 4.82, <i>p</i> < .001), whereas students employing healthy coping strategies reported less sleep-related impairment (β = -0.19, <i>t</i> = -3.88, <i>p</i> < .001). Unhealthy coping moderated relations between COVID-19 worry and sleep-related impairment, such that the relationship between COVID-19 worry and sleep-related impairment was stronger among students reporting average (at the mean) to high (+1 SD) unhealthy coping scores. <b>Conclusions:</b> Engaging in unhealthy coping techniques emerged as a significant risk factor for worse sleep among college students.