Self-critical thinking mediates the relationship between perfectionism and perceived stress in undergraduate students: A longitudinal study

The present study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between multidimensional perfectionism, perceived stress, and self-critical thinking in a sample of UK university students. Specifically, to determine whether self-critical thinking at baseline mediated the longitudinal relationship between baseline perfectionism and future stress at follow-up. At baseline, N=220 students completed measures of multidimensional perfectionism, perceived stress, and self-critical thinking, whereas N=84 completed the same measures at follow-up. Socially prescribed, and self-oriented perfectionism were related to increased stress, self-hatred, and self-inadequacy at baseline. Longitudinal analysis revealed that baseline self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were significantly related to increased reports of stress and self-critical thinking fifteen weeks later at follow-up. More crucially, multiple mediation analysis found self-hatred and inadequacy at baseline mediated the longitudinal relationship between baseline perfectionism and perceived stress at follow-up. Perfectionistic and self-critical thinking appears to accentuate the experience of perceived stress in the university student population. Student-based interventions to reduce self-critical thinking may prove beneficial in preventing the onset of perceived stress

Altered perception of emotional faces in young adults experiencing loneliness after controlling for symptoms of insomnia, anxiety and depression

The evidence base concerning the relationship between loneliness and the perception of facial cues of emotion remains mixed. This study further examined the categorisation accuracy, and perceived emotional intensity and emotional valence of facial expressions of emotion in adults displaying high, medium, and low levels of loneliness, whilst controlling for symptoms of insomnia anxiety and depression. Using the University of California Loneliness Scale, participants were stratified into those experiencing high (N=83), medium (N=97), and low levels (N=93) of loneliness. Observing facial expressions of emotion from the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces database, participants were assessed on their categorisation accuracy and ratings of emotional intensity and valence. After controlling for comorbid psychiatric symptoms, the experience of loneliness was characterised by: positively valanced ratings of angry and sad faces; difficulties in the identification of, and blunted ratings of emotional intensity and valance of happy faces. The outcomes present psychosocial implications for individuals experiencing loneliness

Prevalence and Psychiatric Correlates of Illicit Substance Use in UK Undergraduate Students

This study examined the prevalence of illegal drug use in UK students and motivators behind such behavior. Additionally, we explored possible relationships between substance use, psy-chosocial motivators, and psychiatric distress. N = 543 students completed online measures of substance use, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, insomnia. A series of reasons behind their use were ranked based on importance. Reported cannabis, cocaine, nitrous oxide, ketamine and MDMA use were most prevalent based on lifetime, past year, and month assessments. The experience of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and insomnia were related to increased reports of substance use. Poor self-confidence and self-medication were key motivators of illicit drug use in those presenting greater psychiatric distress. These outcomes add to the sparse body of literature concerning illicit substance use in relation to psychiatric distress amongst UK students. Furthermore, we provided novel insight into the psychosocial motivators of such use

Personality and Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

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 which 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 of 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 which should be taken to advance our understanding of the literature

Diurnal Preference and Correlates of Multidimensional Perfectionism, Type-D Personality, and Big Five Personality Traits

This study examined the extent to which the dimensions of the five-factor model, Type-D personality, and multidimensional perfectionism were associated with a diurnal preference in the general population. A sample of (N = 864) individuals completed the measures of diurnal preference, multidimensional perfectionism, Type-D personality, and the Big Five traits. A correlational analysis determined that agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, organization, and personal standards were independently related to morningness. In contrast, negative affect, social inhibition, Type-D personality, and perfectionistic doubts and concerns, as well as an increased perception of critical parental evaluation, were independently related to eveningness. After accounting for the shared variance amongst the personality traits, only negative affect, conscientiousness, organization, personal standards, and parental perception were significantly associated with diurnal preference. The current outcomes offer further insight into the relationship between personality and diurnal preference. Here, we observed greater reports of adaptive personality traits in relation to morningness, whereas negative affect and perceived parental evaluation and criticism were related to eveningness. As the first study to examine the relationship between Type-D personality, multidimensional perfectionism, and diurnal preference, the current outcomes should be considered preliminary

Facets of Mindfulness Mediate the Relationship Between Attachment Orientation and Emotion Regulation in University Students

Whilst both mindfulness and adult attachment have been linked to wellbeing, little is known about how these constructs relate to emotion regulation that can underpin wellbeing. The present study examined the association between adult attachment orientation and emotion regulation (strategies and difficulties) and the mediating role of facets of dispositional mindfulness. A sample of 301 university students (Mage = 23.08, SD = 8.08; 74.75% female) completed measures of adult attachment, emotion regulation, difficulties in emotion regulation, and dispositional mindfulness. Parallel multiple mediation analyses indicated that the act with awareness and non-judging facets of mindfulness repeatedly emerged as significant mediators in the positive associations between the dimensions of attachment insecurity (anxiety, avoidance, and disorganized) and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and difficulties in emotion regulation. Those individuals exhibiting greater attachment insecurity employ maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and display difficulties in emotion regulation via mindfulness deficits. The present findings extend our current understanding of the role of dispositional mindfulness in the associations between adult attachment orientation and varying aspects of the emotion regulation process

Homogeneity of cognitive and behavioural processes underlying the relationship between insomnia and body image disturbance

Specific cognitive behavioural mechanisms related to selective attention, situational avoidance and physical appearance are implicated in the development and maintenance of insomnia and negative reinforcement of body image disturbances. Therefore, we examined whether these processes potentially mediate the relationship between insomnia and body image perception. N = 728 participants completed self-reported measures of sleep-associated monitoring, insomnia symptoms, body image disturbance and coping with body image challenges. Symptoms of insomnia and sleep-associated monitoring behaviour were independently related to increased reports of body image disturbance, cognitive distortions of body image, appearance fixing (i.e. altering appearance by covering, camouflaging or correcting the perceived defect), avoidance (i.e. attempt to escape or avert stressful body image situations) and reduced levels of positive rationale acceptance (i.e. acceptance of the challenging event and positive self-care or rationale self-talk about one’s appearance). More crucially, sleep-related monitoring on awakening, cognitive distortion of body image and negative coping strategies related to body image (i.e. appearance fixing, avoidance, rationale acceptance) mediated the relationship between reports of body image disturbance and insomnia symptoms. The current findings expand upon previous research demonstrating consistent relationships between poor sleep and increased dissatisfaction with cutaneous features, by providing novel evidence that body image disturbances are associated with symptoms of insomnia. More crucially, we highlight the role of particular cognitive and behavioural mechanisms pertaining to sleep (i.e. selective attention for physical signs of poor sleep) and body image (i.e. avoidance and rationale acceptance) which may be targeted as part of cognitive behavioural treatments

The relationship between psychotic experiences, nightmares and emotion dysregulation: results from a student population

Sleep-disruption is commonly associated with psychotic experiences. Whilst sparse, the literature to date highlights nightmares and related distress as prominent risk factors for psychosis in students. We aimed to further explore the relationship between specific nightmare symptoms and psychotic experiences in university students whilst examining the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. Method: A sample(N=1273) of students respondents from UK Universities completed measures of psychotic experiences, nightmare disorder symptomology, and emotion dysregulation. Findings: Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that psychotic experiences were significantly associated (Adjusted R 2 = 32.4%) with perceived nightmare intensity, consequences and resulting awakenings, and with emotion regulation difficulties. Furthermore, multiple mediation analysis showed that the association between psychotic experiences and nightmare factors was mediated by emotion regulation difficulties. Interpretation: Adaptive regulation of dream content during rapid eye-movement sleep has previously been demonstrated to attenuate surges in affective arousal by controlling the intensity and variability of emotional content. Deficits in emotion regulation may partially explain the experience of more intense and disruptive nightmares amongst individuals with psychotic experiences. Emotion regulation may represent an important control mechanism that safeguards dream content and sleep quality

The therapeutic potential of attentional bias modification training for insomnia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

The efficacy of attentional bias modification (ABM) as a treatment for anxiety and depression has been extensively studied with promising results. Despite some evidence of sleep-related attentional biases in insomnia, only a small number of studies, yielding mixed results, have examined the application of ABM in insomnia. This study specifically aims to determine whether ABM can reduce (i) the presence of an attentional bias for sleep-related threatening words; (ii) insomnia symptom severity; (iii) sleep onset latency; and (iv) pre-sleep cognitive arousal amongst individuals with insomnia compared to a non-treatment control group of individuals with insomnia. We propose a randomised controlled trial of 90 individuals from the general population who meet the criteria for Insomnia Disorder. Following an initial examination for the presence of a sleep-related attentional bias using the dot-probe paradigm, participants will be randomised to an online attentional bias modification training condition, or to a standard attentional bias task (non-treatment) control condition. Both conditions will be delivered online by a web platform. All participants allocated to the non-treatment control group will be offered ABM training once the study is complete. The primary outcome will be the attentional bias indices of vigilance and disengagement and self-reported insomnia symptoms, sleep onset latency and pre-sleep cognitive arousal. Attentional bias and insomnia symptoms will be assessed at baseline (day 1) and post-treatment (2 days after the final training session: day 9). Insomnia symptoms will be again assessed at follow-up (day 16). Secondary outcomes include examining whether sleep associated monitoring and worry are related to a sleep-related attentional bias in insomnia, and whether such reports reduce following ABM. All main analyses will be carried out on completion of follow-up assessments. The trial is supported by the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics at Sheffield Hallam University. This study will extend the research base examining the efficacy of attentional bias modification for insomnia. ISRCTN ( ISRCTN11643569 , registered on 5 June 2018)