A Meta-Analysis of Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation Ability among College Students: The Moderating Effect of Sleep Quality

Huang Dingzhong

Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, 16150, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia

Rohani Ismail

Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, 16150, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia

Affizal Ahmad

Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, 16150, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia

Kar Kheng Yeoh

Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia.

Abstract

This meta-analytic study examines the association between mindfulness and emotion regulation ability in university students, with a particular emphasis on the moderating influence of sleep quality. A total of 21 studies were synthesised using both fixed-effects and random-effects statistical approaches. The fixed-effects model yielded an estimate of 0.605 (95% CI: 0.601   0.610, p   0.001), while the random-effects model presented a statistically significant point estimate of 18.432 (95% CI: 17.573   19.290, p    0.001). The considerable heterogeneity observed across the included studies (I  99.995%) necessitated an exploration of potential influencing variables (Q  364468.787). Analysis based on Hedges g indicated that sleep quality significantly influenced the strength of the relationship between mindfulness and emotion regulation ability. Specifically, studies characterised by high sleep quality demonstrated large effect sizes (g 1.47), whereas those reflecting poor sleep quality produced more modest effect sizes, ranging from g  0.26 to g  0.76. The findings suggest that students who maintain better sleep habits exhibit a stronger positive link between mindfulness and emotional control. This contributes valuable insight to the field, highlighting sleep quality as a critical determinant in emotion regulation outcomes. The implications of these findings are substantial for educators, mental health professionals, and policymakers, who may benefit from integrating sleep-related considerations into mindfulness-based interventions aimed at improving student wellbeing. It is recommended that future research explores additional moderating variables and investigates the longitudinal impacts of mindfulness on emotional functioning.

Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Sleep Quality, College Students and Meta-Analysis