A Correlational Analysis of the Relationships among Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety Sensitivity, Subjective Sleep Quality, and Insomnia Symptoms

Marco Lauriola, R. Nicholas Carleton, Daniela Tempesta, Pierpaolo Calanna, Valentina Socci, Oriana Mosca, Federico Salfi, Luigi De Gennaro and Michele Ferrara
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Marco Lauriola: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
R. Nicholas Carleton: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Daniela Tempesta: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Pierpaolo Calanna: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Valentina Socci: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Oriana Mosca: Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Federico Salfi: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Luigi De Gennaro: Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Michele Ferrara: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: In this study, we used structural equation modeling to investigate the interplay among Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), and sleep problems. Three hundred undergraduate students completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Inventory, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Insomnia Severity Index. 68% and 40% of the students reported poor sleep quality or sub-threshold insomnia problems, respectively. Depression and anxiety levels were above the cut-off for about one-fourth of the participants. Structural equation modeling revealed that IU was strongly associated with AS, in turn influencing both insomnia severity and sleep quality via depression and anxiety. Significant indirect effects revealed that an anxious pathway was more strongly associated with insomnia severity, while a depression pathway was more relevant for worsening the quality of sleep. We discussed the results in the frameworks of cognitive models of insomnia. Viewing AS and IU as antecedents of sleep problems and assigning to AS a pivotal role, our study suggested indications for clinical interventions on a population at risk for sleep disorders.

Keywords: intolerance of uncertainty; anxiety sensitivity; sleep quality; insomnia severity; mediation analyses; depression; anxiety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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