Personality traits and sleep quality: The role of sleep-related beliefs

This study investigated the relationship between personality (particularly emotional stability [ES] and conscientiousness [C]), subjective sleep-related factors (dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, and metacognitive beliefs about sleeping difficulties), and self-reported and objective sleep quality. A sample of 122 healthy participants (age range: 18–74 years) completed the Big Five-60, the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep questionnaire (DBAS), and the Metacognitions Questionnaire-Insomnia (MCQ-I). Self-reported and objective sleep quality were measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and actigraphic recording, respectively. The results of the mediation model showed that the subjective sleep-related factors predicted a worse self-reported sleep quality, while no direct association emerged for ES and C. One subjective sleep-related factor (metacognitive beliefs about sleeping difficulties) mediated the effect of ES on self-reported sleep quality. Objective sleep quality was only associated with C, and not with any subjective sleep-related factors. These findings suggest a differential influence of personality on sleep quality: C appears to be a personality trait “protecting” objective sleep quality, while stronger metacognitive beliefs about sleeping difficulties have a crucial role in explaining the link between lower ES and more self-reported sleeping difficulties.