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Introduction: Psychotic-like experiences are common among college students, and the delusion-like dimension is an important component of this spectrum. However, little is known about how campus-related protective factors are associated with delusion-like experiences in this population. Campus connectedness, reflecting students' connection and integration within the campus community, may be negatively associated with delusion-like experiences. Insomnia and depression, both highly relevant to college student mental health, may help account for this association, not only as individual mediators but also as part of a sequential pathway. This study therefore examined the association between campus connectedness and delusion-like experiences, with particular attention to the hypothesized chained mediation involving insomnia and depression. Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 1,048 college students (Mage = 19.6 years, SD = 1.75). Data on variables were collected through an online questionnaire, namely campus connectedness, insomnia, depression, delusion-like experiences, and other demographic variables. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis, and relevant statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS 25.0 and Mplus 8.3. Results: Campus connectedness was negatively correlated with delusion-like experiences, whereas insomnia and depression were positively correlated with delusion-like experiences. The findings were consistent with significant indirect associations through insomnia, depression, and their hypothesized sequence. After both mediators were included, the residual direct association between campus connectedness and delusion-like experiences changed sign from negative to positive, suggesting a suppression-like pattern. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the association between campus connectedness and delusion-like experiences may partly operate through insomnia and depression, particularly through their hypothesized chained mediation, and may be more complex than a uniformly protective model would imply. These results should be interpreted cautiously, given the cross-sectional design.
Xing et al. (Fri,) studied this question.