Can self-compassion improve sleep quality via reduced rumination?. Issue 6 (2nd November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Butz, Sebastian; Stahlberg, Dagmar
• Is Part Of: Self and identity. Volume 17:Issue 6(2018)
• Page Start: 666
• Page End: 686
• Publication Date: 2018-11-02
• Subjects: Self-compassion -- rumination -- sleep quality; Self -- Periodicals; Identity (Psychology) -- Periodicals; Cognition -- Periodicals; Motivation (Psychology) -- Periodicals; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2018.1456482
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1529-8868

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent in modern societies and can be associated with a multitude of problems for individuals and organizations, and also for society at large. Thus, there is a demand for efficient treatments. We suggest that short self-compassion interventions will improve sleep quality via reducing ruminative thoughts, a key variable associated with poor sleep quality. We ran three studies to test this hypothesis. In Study 1 (correlational data), a positive relationship between self-compassion and sleep quality emerged in students' self-reports. This effect was mediated by rumination. In Study 2, students in two different self-compassion intervention conditions reported higher sleep quality compared to a control condition. Again, rumination mediated this effect. In Study 3, patients with major depressive disorder reported a significant increase in sleep quality and a significant decrease of ruminative thoughts after one week in a daily self-compassion intervention (compared to patients in a control condition). Limitations and implications for future research, such as the need of placebo control groups, objective sleep quality measures, and person–intervention fit designs are discussed.