Dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and insomnia symptoms in early adulthood: A twin and sibling study

Abstract

This study examines the associations between dysfunctional belief about sleep (DBAS), its subtypes and insomnia symptoms and estimates the relative contribution of genetic and environmental influences to these variables and the associations between them. The data came from G1219, a twin/sibling study that comprises 862 individuals (aged 22–32 years, 34% male). The Insomnia Symptoms Questionnaire was used to measure insomnia symptoms and a 10‐item version of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale was used to assess DBAS. A higher DBAS score was associated with more insomnia symptoms. Overall DBAS showed a mainly non‐shared environmental influence (86%). The genetic correlation between overall DBAS and insomnia symptoms was large but not significant, the shared environmental correlation was very small, negative and not significant, whereas a moderate, significant overlap in the non‐shared environmental influences was evident (non‐shared environmental correlation = 0.32). For the association between the subscales of DBAS and insomnia symptoms no significant overlap for genetic (weak to strong associations) or shared environmental factors (very weak negative to strong associations) was indicated. Most of the non‐shared environmental influences on the four variables were significantly moderately correlated (non‐shared environmental correlation = 0.24–0.46). These findings help to deepen our understanding of cognitive theories of insomnia by dissecting one of its crucial elements and illuminating the factors involved in its association with insomnia symptoms.

Heritability of Sleep and Its Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

“…Future research could examine genetic influences on these “environmental traits.” Recent studies have implicated other mechanisms such as bullying [ 41 ], sibling conflict [ 44 ], internalizing problems [ 32 ], antisocial behavior [ 42 ], emotional regulation [ 63 ], and impulsivity and anger [ 64 ]. There have also been studies in young adults that have examined pre-sleep arousal [ 65 ], dysfunctional beliefs about sleep [ 66 ], and loneliness [ 67 ] as other pathways that affect sleep. Future work could explore how these factors influence sleep in younger populations.…”

Behaviour genetics and sleep: A narrative review of the last decade of quantitative and molecular genetic research in humans

“…Overall, we found strong genetic correlations between pre-sleep arousal and insomnia, suggesting that those with cognitive and/or pre-sleep arousal could also have a vulnerability to insomnia [153]. On the other hand, significant nonshared environmental correlations were found for the links between insomnia and dysfunctional beliefs [154], as well as insomnia and mindfulness [155].…”

Discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time in patients with cancer: The DBST index and its relationship with insomnia severity and sleep onset latency

“…Dysfunctional beliefs regarding sleep contribute to sleep disturbances and aggravate sleep problems. These include beliefs regarding the immediate consequences, long-term consequences, and control of sleep ( 7 ). To measure this concept, the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS) is commonly used in clinical fields in several different questionnaire versions.…”