Journal article
Bidirectional Associations between Daily Symptoms of Perfectionism and Poor Sleep: The Mediating Role of Stress
Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Vol.Advanced access
16-Apr-2026
PMID: 41989986
Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection
Abstract
Objectives
Perfectionism is a risk factor for poor sleep. Past studies have examined the relationship between perfectionism and sleep using summary statistics that do not account for intra-individual day-to-day variability. Using ecological momentary assessment, this study investigated the bidirectional and temporal relationships between perfectionism and sleep, and the mediating effects of stress.
Methods
Sixty-three adults (85.7% female, mean age 30.13 ± 10.96 years) were sampled from the Australian general population. Measures collected over 14 days included the Pittsburgh Sleep Diary, Daily Perfectionism Measures, Daily Stress Inventory, the Concerns over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions subscales from the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and the Socially Prescribed Perfectionism subscale from the Hewitt-Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale.
Results
Perfectionism levels were positively associated with sleep onset variability (p ≤ .04). The relationship between perfectionism and poor sleep was significant at the between-person level in both directions (p ≤ .041), with stress mediating the relationship of sleep predicting next-day perfectionism (p ≤ .042). At the within-person level, stress mediated the relationship, with higher perfectionism leading to higher stress, which then related to lower sleep quality (p ≤ .009). Poorer sleep did not predict next-day perfectionism and was not mediated by stress.
Conclusions
Perfectionism and sleep appear bidirectionally linked. Individuals with higher perfectionism scores were more likely to experience disrupted sleep and vice versa. Changes in perfectionism did not directly impact the same night’s sleep, but this relationship was mediated by stress. Therefore, consider the role of perfectionism and stress management when assessing and treating poor sleep.
Details
- Title
- Bidirectional Associations between Daily Symptoms of Perfectionism and Poor Sleep: The Mediating Role of Stress
- Authors
- Susie Y. Oh (Corresponding Author) - The University of MelbourneHailey Meaklim - The University of MelbourneChristian L. Nicholas - The University of MelbourneDavid Cunnington - Sunshine Coast Respiratory & Sleep (Australia)Cameron J. Patrick - The University of MelbourneMaya Schenker - The University of MelbourneLisa J Phillips - The University of Melbourne
- Publication details
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.1080/15402002.2026.2657920
- ISSN
- 1540-2010
- PMID
- 41989986
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991239799702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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