No perfect sleep! A systematic review of the link between multidimensional perfectionism and sleep disturbance

Abstract

Summary The view that perfectionists are prone to experiencing sleep disturbance is widely held. Yet, almost three decades of empirical research have yielded conflicting results. Whereas some researchers viewed perfectionism as a risk factor for sleep disturbance, others spoke of “adaptive” or “positive” forms of perfectionism in the context of sleep. The multidimensional conceptualisation of perfectionism may resolve this disagreement. Thus, this systematic review aimed to clarify the perfectionism‒sleep disturbance link using the widely accepted two‐dimensional perfectionism model, differentiating perfectionistic concerns (defined by worries over imperfections) and perfectionistic strivings (defined by excessively high personal standards). A systematic literature search returned 24 relevant empirical studies. Perfectionistic concerns were robustly linked to sleep disturbance. Perfectionistic strivings displayed comparatively small and inconsistent relations with sleep disturbance. Finally, cross‐sectional mediation studies suggested that psychological distress and dysfunctional cognitive processes might underlie the perfectionistic concerns‒sleep disturbance link. These findings show that considering perfectionistic concerns in explaining, predicting, and treating sleep disturbance may be a promising approach. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings appeared neither universally adaptive nor maladaptive. We identified several critical gaps in the empirical literature and point towards future research directions, highlighting the need for more longitudinal studies.

Far from perfect sleep: A diary study on multidimensional perfectionism in the context of the stressor–detachment model.

“…Against this background, we focused on SOP and SPP as two specific dimensions of perfectionism in the present study. 1 Perfectionistic concerns have consistently been related to a variety of sleep problems, whereas perfectionistic strivings have been mostly unrelated to sleep quality in previous research (see Molnar et al, 2020;Stricker et al, 2022, for reviews on perfectionism and sleep). To date, two studies have investigated and confirmed these findings in samples of employees (Flaxman et al, 2018;Reis & Prestele, 2020).…”

“…Specifically, in a sample of adults, Molnar et al (2020) found a positive indirect effect of SOP on both sleep efficiency and quality via lower levels of perceived stress, whereas they found the opposite pattern for SPP. However, Stricker et al (2022) recently concluded in their review that little convincing evidence exists to support the adaptiveness of SOP concerning sleep. These findings point toward a need for gaining more knowledge of the different mechanisms.…”

“…To date, researchers agree that perfectionism is multidimensional and that especially perfectionistic concerns, including the key dimension of socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP; the belief that others have exceedingly high expectations toward the person and the fear of being criticized; Hewitt & Flett, 1991), are linked to impaired sleep quality (Molnar et al, 2020; Stricker et al, 2022). Evidence on perfectionistic strivings and key dimensions, such as self-oriented perfectionism (SOP), which is defined as holding exceedingly high standards for oneself (Hewitt & Flett, 1991), on the contrary, is mixed and indicates that this dimension is not necessarily linked to sleep problems (Molnar et al, 2020; Stricker et al, 2022).…”

Вивчення Якості Сну Та Фармацевтичної Допомоги При Безсонні У Представників Освітнього Середовища Фармацевтичного Спрямування

“…Порушення сну у фармацевтичних фахівців (ФФ) тісно пов'язані з низкою захворювань, які належать до професійних та сьогодні поглиблюються факторами, що зумовлені воєнним станом, тривалою пандемією COVID-19, бурхливим розвитком інформаційних технологій, несприятливою соціальною ситуацією, які додають нервового напруження на роботі [7][8][9][10].…”

Focus on sleep medicine

“…Stricker et al (2022) provide us with a systematic review of the relationships between perfectionism, measured multidimensionally, and sleep disturbances. This non‐meta‐analytic approach resulted in 24 relevant empirical studies, and it seems that concerning perfectionism, perfectionistic concerns were robustly linked to sleep disturbance.…”