Individual Differences Research

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Individual Differences Research > Volume 17 (2019) > e17004

Not All Who Worry Lose Sleep: Personality, Normal Worry, and Sleep Disturbance Ascribed to Worry

William E. Kelly

Abstract

Although worry is often viewed as maladaptive, moderate and controllable worry may serve adaptive cognitive functions. This study investigated how individual differences in normal worry, described as an adaptive, goal-directed form of anticipatory cognition, relate to sleep disturbance ascribed to worry (SAW) and whether Big Five personality traits explain this link. A student and community sample of 151 adults completed the Normal Worry Questionnaire (NORWO), SAW Scale, and Big Five Mini-Markers. Hierarchical regressions showed that higher normal worry predicted lower SAW after controlling for age, gender, and perceived sleep deprivation. Regression findings indicated that normal worry incrementally predicted SAW beyond personality. A parallel mediation model revealed no indirect effects through personality traits. Findings suggest that normal worry functions as a distinct metacognitive and self-regulatory process that may buffer maladaptive attribution of sleep problems to cognitive activity, underscoring the need to distinguish adaptive from pathological worry.