Associations between Sleep Disturbances, Personality Traits and Self-Regulation in a Sample of Healthy Adults

<b>Background:</b> Scientific evidence and everyday experience show that sleep disturbances and self-regulation as a proxy of stress reactivity are linked. Particular personality traits such as neuroticism, internalizing and externalizing problems are also associated with sleep disturban...

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Main Authors: Ali Zakiei, Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani, Habibolah Khazaie, Zeinab Lorestani, Mohammad Sadeghi, Dariuosh Korani, Zeinab Sahraei, Saeid Komasi, Zeno Stanga, Annette B. Brühl, Serge Brand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-04-01
Series:Journal of Clinical Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/7/2143
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Summary:<b>Background:</b> Scientific evidence and everyday experience show that sleep disturbances and self-regulation as a proxy of stress reactivity are linked. Particular personality traits such as neuroticism, internalizing and externalizing problems are also associated with sleep disturbances. Here, we combined self-regulation and personality traits and associated these variables with subjective sleep disturbances. <b>Methods:</b> A total of 846 adults (mean age: 33.7 years; 78.7% females) completed questionnaires covering sleep disturbances, self-regulation and personality traits. <b>Results:</b> Higher scores for sleep disturbances were associated with higher scores for externalization, internalization, and instability and with lower scores for stability (all trait variables) and with poorer self-regulation (state variable). The regression model showed that higher scores for externalization and internalization (traits), and lower scores for self-regulation (state) predicted higher scores for sleep disturbance. Next, self-regulation had both a direct effect on sleep disturbance, and an indirect effect via personality traits. <b>Conclusions:</b> Sleep disturbances were related to both state (i.e., self-regulation) and trait (e.g., internalization and instability) dimensions. The current data analysis leapfrogs the state–trait dichotomy discussion and reconciles the state-and-trait approach in the prediction of poor sleep, though self-regulation appeared to have both direct and indirect effects on sleep disturbances.
ISSN:2077-0383