Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of deaths in China. Prior research suggests that individuals’ perceived severity of COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioral reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this idea. Participants were 4607 citizens from 31 regions in China (M_age = 23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for a number of demographic variables, perceived severity of COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the “perceived severity of COVID-19–mental health problems” association, with this link attenuating as the levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Practically, enhancing individuals’ self-control ability might be a promising way to improve individuals’ mental health during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Objective: poor subjective sleep quality (SSQ) and problematic Internet use (PIU) were common among college students in China, but their prevalence and interconnections were understudied. Participants: 1040 college students (60.0% females), ranging in age from 16 to 26 (mean = 20.32; SD = 1.43). Methods: Participants completed a survey assessing their SSQ, PIU, and other covariates. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to test association between SSQ and PIU. Results: Around 46.8% of the sample reported poor SSQ, 17.3% was diagnosed with Internet addiction, and 64.3% were Internet overusers. Poor sleepers had 2.03 times greater odds (95%CI: 1.41-2.91) of being Internet overusers, and 3.25 greater odds (95%CI: 2.05-5.17) of being Internet addicts. Conclusions: Poor SSQ was strongly associated with elevated odds of PIU over and above the contributions of poor psychological functioning, substance use, and physical activity. Programs aimed at enhancing SSQ among college students should take reducing PIU into perspective.