386 An Exploratory Study of Bedtime Procrastination and Emotional Regulation Strategies in Insomnia compared to healthy individuals

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Abstract Introduction Bedtime Procrastination (BP) is defined as the behavior of voluntarily delaying going to bed, without having external reasons for doing so. Recent research on procrastination behavior suggests that when negative emotions are elevated, procrastination behaviors can be triggered in order to find pleasure to avoid and alleviate them. Procrastination can also occur when there is difficulty regulating emotions. In addition, the reason for bedtime procrastination may be different depending on whether the individuals present with insomnia. According to previous studies, patients with insomnia may exhibit more pronounced negative avoidance of bedtime due to prolonged sleeplessness. Therefore, this study compared the difference between of the bedtime procrastination and the emotional regulation strategies between the insomnia group and the healthy group. Methods This study was conducted in 582 adults (mean age 23.06 ±2.16 years), 81.6% females. Individuals scoring higher than 15 on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were classified into the insomnia group (n=375), and those less than 15 were classified into the healthy group (n=207). Participants completed the Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BPS), Emotional Regulation Strategies Checklist. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi square test, and independent t tests. Results The insomnia group had significantly higher bedtime procrastination scores than the healthy group (t=-6.241, p<.001), and also the avoidant/distractive regulation style score was significantly higher (t=-1.969, p<.05). In addition, the score of active regulation style was significantly lower in the insomnia group than in the healthy group (t=3.050, p<.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the support-seeking regulation style. Conclusion Based on these results, it was confirmed that there was a difference in the bedtime procrastination and the emotional regulation strategies between the insomnia group and the healthy group. Support (if any) This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF-2018S1A5A8026807)