Emotional Dysregulation Leads to Reduced Sleep Quality When the Level of Repetitive Negative Thoughts Is High: Findings of a Structural Equation Model

Abstract

Background: The role of emotion in the quality of sleep is very important. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating roles of repetitive negative thoughts in the relationship between sleep quality and each of emotional dysregulation and experiential avoidance. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study with random sampling method, which two groups of samples were selected (clinical sample and non-clinical sample, n1 = 120 and n2 = 200 people, respectively). Then after data collection, two models were designed and examined using the AMOS-2 software, path analysis, and structural equation modeling. Results: The results of the present study revealed that in both samples, the standard coefficient of the experiential avoidance path to sleep quality was not significant through the repetitive negative thoughts, while the emotional deregulation path to sleep quality was significant through repetitive thoughts (β = 0.55, P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that emotional dysregulation leads to reduced sleep quality when the level of repetitive negative thoughts is high.