Association between Sleep Quality and Personality Based on the Big Five Factor Model in a Non-clinical Sample

Introduction. Sleep is essential for maintaining health, well-being, and functionality. The personality traits of the Five Factor Model (FFM) have proven promising as determinants of sleep quality. Objective. To explore the relationship between personality traits and sleep quality in a Brazilian sample by testing a predictive model based on multiple linear regression. Method. The study involved 447 adult participants (with an average age of 37.7 years), who completed an online survey including the following instruments: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-BR), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), and the Big Five Inventory (BFI). Participants were selected through social media advertisements calling for volunteers for a study on sleep quality. Results. The regression model revealed that age, educational attainment, family income, BMI, neuroticism, and psychopathological symptoms were predictors of sleep quality. The gender, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness variables were not predictors of sleep quality in the multivariate analysis. Discussion and conclusion. The study emphasizes the role of neuroticism in predicting sleep quality over other personality traits. Additionally, the results suggest that the risk of or protection against the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms is a key mechanism linking personality traits to sleep. These findings can therefore contribute to identifying individuals at risk for sleep disturbances and developing health intervention strategies.