Personality and Sleep Psychopathology: Associations Between the DSM‐5 Maladaptive Trait Domains and Multiple Sleep Problems in an Adult Population

Given the lack of sufficient studies exploring the nature of sleep problems from the perspective of the alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD) proposed by the DSM-5, the present study is aimed at determining the associations between five trait domains such as negative affectivity and sleep problems (insomnia, parasomnia, hypersomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, restless legs syndrome, and sleep-disordered breathing) in an adult population. Adults aged 18-65 from western Iran were invited to the study via virtual platforms (N = 928; 62% female) and responded online to the Brief Form of Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and the Holland Sleep Disorder Questionnaire to assess sleep problems. The regression analyses indicated that the AMPD trait domains could significantly predict both specific sleep problems (R² ranges from 0.13 to 0.17; all p ≤ 0.001) and total score of sleep problems (R² = 0.23; p < 0.001). Psychoticism (β ranges from 0.26 to 0.39; all p < 0.001) and negative affectivity (β ranges from 0.14 to 0.29; all p ≤ 0.002) were the strongest specific domains associated with all sleep problems. The findings highlighted links between maladaptive domains of the AMPD and multiple sleep problems. The unique profiles of each sleep problem are useful in selecting treatments tailored to specific sleep problems in adults.