Sleep disturbance mediates the link between both self-compassion and self-criticism and psychological distress during prolonged periods of stress.
Appl Psychol Health Well Being
; 16(1): 119-137, 2024 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37501499
ABSTRACT
Poor sleep and subsequent decline in mental health often occur during times of prolonged stress, such as a pandemic. Self-compassion is linked with improved sleep and better mental health, while self-criticism is linked with poorer sleep and psychological distress. Given there is little evidence of the interrelationships of these constructs, we examined whether higher self-compassion or lower levels of self-criticism can reduce psychological distress directly and indirectly via sleep during times of prolonged stress. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse two samples (N = 722, Study 1, and N = 622, Replication Study) of university students during different stages of the pandemic. An aggregate psychological distress construct was calculated using depression, anxiety and stress measures. We created models that showed insomnia symptoms mediated the relationship between self-compassion/self-criticism and psychological distress. Sleep partially mediated both relationships, and this was the strongest effect in both samples. This suggests that improving self-compassion and reducing self-criticism will improve sleep, leading to reduced psychological distress. As our findings are robust and held at two time points, future research should investigate broader demographics and differing stress responses.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos do Sono-Vigília
/
Angústia Psicológica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Appl Psychol Health Well Being
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Austrália