Self-critical perfectionism and sleep disturbance: The moderating role of anxiety

Sleep disturbance is a growing health concern among university students. Certain personality characteristics and co-existing psychological distress may make it especially difficult to ensure quality sleep. Positioning self-critical perfectionism as a prevalent personality characteristic, this study examined its link to sleep disturbance and tested whether psychological distress symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress each exacerbated the association. A total of 410 university students responded to self-report questionnaires on self-critical perfectionism, psychological distress, and sleep disturbance. Moderation analysis results found that anxiety moderated the relationship between self-critical perfectionism and sleep disturbance, while depression and stress did not. This finding complements previous findings on the deleterious role that self-critical perfectionism plays in sleep disturbance and calls for attention to consider concurrently existing anxiety to holistically understand sleep.