Older adults and sleep: The relationship between beliefs, attitudes and behaviours

Ellis, Jason, Hampson, Sarah and Cropley, Mark (2001) Older adults and sleep: The relationship between beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. In: Joint Conference between the Division of Health Psychology and the European Health Psychology Society, 4–7 September 2001, St Andrews.

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

Purpose: Recent research suggests the development of a campaign to highlight dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes to sleep, as well as sleep disrupting behaviours, in the
general population, in order to promote good sleep practices. Implicit in this approach are two main assumptions. Primarily, that positive attitudes and beliefs to sleep are related to positive sleep practices, and secondly, that poor sleep hygiene (the measure of sleep disrupting behaviours)is associated with the development of
sleep disorders.

Methods: These assumptions were tested using a sample of older adults who responded to an advertisement in a periodical marketed at the older generation. The 382 participants completed the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes to Sleep Scale (DBAS) as well as questions on sleep hygiene practices and present sleep patterns.

Results: A positive correlation between DBAS score and poor sleep hygiene was found for selfidentified insomniacs (r=0.246; n=262; p<0.01) although this was not the case for self-identified normal sleepers (r=0.36; n=120; n.s). Additionally, a logistic regression indicated that levels of sleep hygiene could not predict insomniacs from normal
sleepers, although other factors were highlighted.

Conclusions: These results suggest a tailored campaign, focusing on dysfunctional beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, for older insomniacs may be more effective than a generalised campaign. However, the concept of sleep hygiene promotion as a singular preventative intervention must be questioned.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects:	C800 Psychology
Department:	Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Psychology
Depositing User:	Linda Barlow
Date Deposited:	01 May 2012 18:32
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 16:27
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6711

Downloads