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. 2023 Dec;32(6):e14031.
doi: 10.1111/jsr.14031. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Personality and insomnia: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Umair Akram  1   2 , Jodie C Stevenson  1 , Maria Gardani  3 , Sarah Allen  4 , Anna F Johann  5   6
Affiliations

Personality and insomnia: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Umair Akram et al. J Sleep Res. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

The inherent nature of personality serves as a predisposing, and possible maintaining, factor of insomnia. However, methodological differences limit the ability to draw causal conclusions regarding the specific traits involved in the aetiology of the disorder. This systematic review of the relationship between insomnia and personality provides a narrative synthesis of the literature to date. Here, we identified N = 76 studies meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The outcomes reliably evidenced the experience of insomnia to be associated with personality traits that are typically considered to be negative or maladaptive in nature. More specifically, insomnia was related to neuroticism, introversion, perfectionistic doubts and concerns, elevated personal standards, negative affect, social inhibition and avoidance, hysteria, hypochondriasis, psychasthenia, impulsive behaviour, anger, hostility, and psychopathic tendencies, schizotypal and borderline traits, reduced conscientiousness and self-directedness, and negatively perceived perception of the self. Several studies examined the role that personality plays in predicting the treatment efficacy and adherence of CBTi. Moving forward, longitudinal research, methodological consistency, the mediating role of treatment outcomes and adherence, and clinical and population representative samples should be prioritised. Methodological strengths and limitations of the literature are discussed alongside the next steps that should be taken to advance our understanding of the literature.

Keywords: insomnia; personality; review; sleep; traits.

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References

REFERENCES

    1. Akram, U., Allen, S., McCarty, K., Gardani, M., Tan, A., Villarreal, D., & Akram, A. (2018). The relationship between insomnia symptoms and the dark triad personality traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 131, 212-215.
    1. Akram, U., Ellis, J. G., & Barclay, N. L. (2015). Anxiety mediates the relationship between perfectionism and insomnia symptoms: A longitudinal study. PLoS One, 10(10), e0138865.
    1. Akram, U., Ellis, J. G., Myachykov, A., Chapman, A. J., & Barclay, N. L. (2017). Anxiety mediates the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and insomnia disorder. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 82-86.
    1. Akram, U., Gardani, M., Akram, A., & Allen, S. (2019). Anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between insomnia symptoms and the personality traits of conscientiousness and emotional stability. Heliyon, 5(6), e01939.
    1. Akram, U., Gardani, M., Riemann, D., Akram, A., Allen, S. F., Lazuras, L., & Johann, A. F. (2020). Dysfunctional sleep-related cognition and anxiety mediate the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and insomnia symptoms. Cognitive Processing, 21, 141-148.

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