Insomnia and Personality—A Network Approach

Abstract

Studies on personality traits and insomnia have remained inconclusive about which traits show the most direct associations with insomnia severity. It has moreover hardly been explored how traits relate to specific characteristics of insomnia. We here used network analysis in a large sample (N = 2089) to obtain an integrated view on the associations of personality traits with both overall insomnia severity and different insomnia characteristics, while distinguishing direct from indirect associations. We first estimated a network describing the associations among the five factor model personality traits and overall insomnia severity. Overall insomnia severity was associated with neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness. Subsequently, we estimated a separate network describing the associations among the personality traits and each of the seven individual items of the Insomnia Severity Index. This revealed relatively separate clusters of daytime and nocturnal insomnia complaints, that both contributed to dissatisfaction with sleep, and were both most directly associated with neuroticism and conscientiousness. The approach revealed the strongest direct associations between personality traits and the severity of different insomnia characteristics and overall insomnia severity. Differentiating them from indirect associations identified the targets for improving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia with the highest probability of effectively changing the network of associated complaints.

Association between insomnia and personality traits among Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

“…Neuroticism is thought to be a risk factor for, diagnostic indicator of, and predictor of the onset, severity and outcome of most psychiatric disorders. A network analysis showed insomnia was strongly and directly related to neuroticism and, secondarily, to openness and agreeableness, but not to extraversion or conscientiousness. In the present study, however, a significant inverse correlation was found between insomnia and agreeableness, which was an opposite tendency from the previous study.…”

“…It is known that neuroticism is also associated with other mental disorders. Neuroticism is thought to be a risk factor for, diagnostic indicator of, and predictor of the onset, severity and outcome of most psychiatric disorders. A network analysis showed insomnia was strongly and directly related to neuroticism and, secondarily, to openness and agreeableness, but not to extraversion or conscientiousness.…”

Anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between insomnia symptoms and the personality traits of conscientiousness and emotional stability

“…It has been theorised that, an individual's personality may act as a predisposing, and potentially perpetuating, factor in relation to the disorder (Spielman et al., 1987). In support, research has evidenced that insomnia appears to be related to a greater degree of: maladaptive perfectionistic traits; neuroticism; negative affect; social inhibition; internalisation; and anxious concerns; and lower levels of conscientiousness and emotional stability (Akram et al., 2018; Akram et al., 2017; Dekker et al., 2017; Duggan et al., 2014; Van de Laar et al., 2010). However, the evidence base supporting the relationship between insomnia and personality remains mixed, with little consistency concerning the specific traits which are most predictive of insomnia (Dekker et al., 2017).…”

“…One of the most prominent models of personality is the five-factor model (Goldberg, 1993), comprised of five traits: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability (or neuroticism) and openness to new experiences (Gosling et al., 2003). Of these, research has reliably demonstrated poor-sleep and insomnia symptoms to be associated with reduced emotional stability (a tendency to be emotionally reactive and experience more negative emotions) and low levels of conscientiousness (a tendency to be reliable, well-organised and hardworking) (Dekker et al., 2017; Duggan et al., 2014; Hintsanen et al., 2014). Interestingly, the direction of these two traits are predictive of health outcomes, with those lacking in conscientious and emotional stability at greater risk of mortality (Kern and Friedman, 2008; Lahey, 2009) and mental health difficulty (Chien et al., 2007; Kotov et al., 2010; Lahey, 2009).…”

Relations of Emotional and Personal Features and Subjective Assessment of Sleep Disorders

“…К таким особенностям можно отнести повышенный уровень нейротизма. Повышенный уровень тревожности, раздражительность, эмоциональная неустойчивость, гиперчувствительность -все это может выступить предиктором развития инсомнии [Dekker et al, 2017;.…”