The Impact of Social Anxiety on Sleep Quality in Secondary and Tertiary Students: Symptoms, Emotional Factors, and Personality Traits

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of social anxiety on sleep quality among secondary and tertiary students, focusing on three mediating dimensions: symptoms, emotional factors, and personality traits. Drawing on existing empirical studies, the paper explores how rumination, as a key symptom of social anxiety, disrupts cognitive processes and delays sleep onset; how emotional factors such as relative deprivation exacerbate feelings of inadequacy, increasing emotional arousal and leading to insomnia; and how personality traits like introversion and low self-esteem intensify cognitive and emotional burdens, further impairing sleep. Through an integrated review of quantitative findings from multiple psychological and educational studies, the research highlights the interplay between social anxiety and sleep quality, illustrating that these mediators amplify the negative consequences for students’ academic performance, social functioning, and mental health. The paper concludes with recommendations for emotional regulation, self-esteem enhancement, and targeted interventions aimed at mitigating social anxiety’s effects on sleep, ultimately fostering healthier learning environments for secondary and tertiary students.