0356 Is There an Association Between Insomnia and Temperament in Adults?

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Insomnia is an increasingly prevalent health concern influenced by environmental, biological, and dispositional factors. Adult temperament is the collection of fundamental characteristics that some have hypothesized may predispose individuals to insomnia. Despite this, there is little research on the relationship between insomnia and specific temperament factors in adults. A few investigations have shown negative affect as the most consistent association with poor sleep. This study investigated relationships between insomnia and adult temperament and tested whether the association between negative affect and insomnia is better explained by depression. Methods Participants were 66 adults, (Mdn = 23, 18-49 years old), 50% female, 86% white, ranging from good (no insomnia) to poor sleepers (mild to moderate insomnia). Data were pooled from two protocols designed to investigate associations between sleep and transdiagnostic features of mental illness. As part of a broader array of questionnaires and assessments, participants completed the insomnia severity index (ISI), adult temperament questionnaire (ATQ), and the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The ATQ subscales were calculated according to previously identified factors: negative affect, effortful control, orienting sensitivity, and extraversion/surgency. Spearman’s coefficient was used to explore associations between each temperament factor and insomnia severity. Multiple regression was used to determine whether the associations between insomnia severity and negative affect remained when adjusting for PHQ-9 total score, not including the sleep items. Results Insomnia severity was significantly correlated with negative affect (ρ = 0.345, p = .005), but no other temperament factors (p> .05, for all). Regression analysis of all four ATQ factors and the PHQ-9 in predicting ISI outcomes resulted in an R2 of .45, PHQ-9 being the only significant regressor (p< .05). Conclusion We failed to find support for the hypothesis that individual differences in temperament confer risk for insomnia. Although insomnia was associated with negative affect in bivariate correlation analysis, this association may be better explained by their shared association with depression. We recommend investigating how temperament interacts with various psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety to better understand the individual differences that may impact risks for developing insomnia. Support (if any) n/a