The Roles of Procrastinatory Cognitions and Bedtime Procrastination in Insomnia among Students

Abstract

Background and Objective: Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep-related problems among university students. To date, several explanatory models for insomnia have been presented; however, the perspective of procrastination has been less considered. The present study's aim was to determine the association between procrastinatory cognitions and bedtime procrastination, and insomnia among students. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. A total of 433 students were selected using stratified random sam-pling method. Data were collected using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BTPS), and Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory (PCI). Results: The severity of insomnia in medical students varied from non-clinical to clinical insomnia. In addition, the results of regression analysis indicated that the full model was significant regarding the predictors of insomnia. Only 3% of variance in insomnia severity was due to demographic variables, while bedtime procrastination and procrastina-tory cognitions explained 33% of the variance in the severity of insomnia among students. Conclusion: The procrastination-related structures such as procrastinatory cognitions and bedtime procrastination play an important role in explaining insomnia in students. Addressing these variables as perpetuating factors can be consid-ered in the treatment of insomnia in students.

Keywords

• Insomnia, Cognition, Procrastination