Beliefs About the Utility of Presleep Worry: An Investigation of Individuals with Insomnia and Good Sleepers

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the role of beliefs about the utility of presleep worry in the context of insomnia. The Utility of Presleep Worry Questionnaire (UPWQ) was administered to individuals with insomnia (n = 31) and good sleepers (n = 31). The UPWQ comprised 36 positive belief statements and 24 negative belief statements. Patients with insomnia endorsed more positive belief statements compared to the good sleepers. The insomnia group exhibited a larger discrepancy between their expectation of what can be achieved by worrying in bed and what is actually achieved by worrying in bed compared to the good sleeper group. The number of negative belief statements endorsed was not different between the insomnia and good sleeper groups. For the insomnia group, measures of sleep disturbance were correlated with positive beliefs (r = .49) about the utility of presleep worry but were not correlated with negative beliefs. Holding both positive and negative beliefs about the utility of presleep worry was associated with higher scores on general psychopathology measures. The results of the present study suggest that positive beliefs about the benefits of worrying during the presleep period are characteristic of insomnia and may serve to maintain the disorder.