Parent–child alienation, peer alienation, and sleep disturbance in Chinese college students: a longitudinal study of bidirectional relationships and gender differences

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is highly prevalent among college students and poses significant risks to mental health. However, the longitudinal relationships among parent-child alienation, peer alienation, and sleep disturbance remain poorly understood, particularly regarding gender differences. METHODS: A three-wave longitudinal study involving 4,852 Chinese college students was conducted. The Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) was used to examine bidirectional associations and mediating effects, and multigroup analyses were conducted to assess gender differences. RESULTS: At the within-person level, parent-child alienation and sleep disturbance reciprocally predicted each other (β = 0.112-0.121 and β = 0.060-0.066, respectively; p < .05). Peer alienation predicted subsequent sleep disturbance in the total sample (β = 0.064-0.066, p < .01), but this association was significant only among girls (β = 0.222-0.274, p < .001). Sleep disturbance, in turn, predicted subsequent peer alienation in both genders. Furthermore, peer alienation mediated the association between parent-child alienation and sleep disturbance in the total sample (indirect effect = 0.006, 95% CI [0.002, 0.013]). Gender-specific analyses revealed partial mediation in both directions among girls (indirect effects = 0.047, 95% CI [0.026, 0.068] and 0.012, 95% CI [0.002, 0.023]), whereas no significant mediating effects were observed among boys. The standardized within-person effects were generally small (most βs < 0.12), suggesting a multifactorial etiology. CONCLUSION: Peer alienation partially mediated the longitudinal association between parent-child alienation and sleep disturbance among girls but not among boys. These findings highlight interpersonal alienation as a meaningful target for gender-sensitive prevention and early-identification efforts aimed at improving sleep health among college students.