title: Longitudinal study on perfectionism and sleep disturbance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine if perfectionism predicts self-reported sleep disturbances over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Hewitt-Flett Perfectionism Scale was used to assess self-oriented, socially-prescribed (SPP) and other-oriented perfectionism. Sleep disturbance was evaluated with two items: difficulty in falling asleep and waking up many times during the night. Out of 870 students who participated at baseline, 592 and 305 completed the same measures 1 year (T1) and 2 years later (T2), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects who reported insomnia at baseline, T1 and T2 (persistent insomnia) had significantly higher scores of baseline SPP (T1 M = 51.5, SD = 15.8; T2 M = 55.0, SD = 19.0) than subjects reporting, in all stages of the study, never/rarely having had sleep problems (T1 M = 41.9, SD = 11.4; T2 M = 42.2, SD = 12.3, P<0.001 in both cases). Regression analyses showed that baseline SPP was the only significant positive predictor of difficulties in falling asleep at T1 and T2 (T1 partial R=0.187; T2 partial R=0.196, P<0.001) and of difficulties maintaining sleep (T1 partial R=0.116; T2 partial R=0.244, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SPP was found to be the most reliable predictor of sleep disturbances over time, which constitutes a new important finding.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. mazevedo@fmed.uc.pt
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.forename: Sandra Carvalho
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Ana Telma
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Ana Allen
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macedo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010556:Personality Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult