Predicting Safety Behaviors Related To Insomnia According to Cognitive, Meta-Cognitive and Emotional Variables in College Students

The goal of the present study was to predict safety behaviors in insomnia by investigating a number of predicting variables including depression, anxiety, worry, pre- sleep arousal (cognitive and somatic arousal), dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and metacognitive beliefs in insomnia. 400 students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated in this study and all participants completed Depression Anxiety Stress Scales(DASS), Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale(DBAS), Metacognitions Questionnaire-Insomnia and Sleep Related Behaviors Questionnaire. All variables were significantly correlated with safety behaviors. Stepwise multiple regression analysis suggested that metacognitive beliefs in insomnia, somatic arousal and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep predicted safety behaviors in insomnia. Depression, anxiety, worry and cognitive arousal were excluded from the predicting model. The findings underlined the significant influence that metacognitive beliefs in insomnia, somatic arousal and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep had on individuals’ behaviors. Moreover, the results suggested that metacognitive beliefs in insomnia may need to be considered an important factor in maintaining insomnia.