Emerging Adult Locus of Control and Regular Bed Time Related to Sleep Quality

Research has found that emerging adults often report poor sleep quality, which has been connected to problems with mood regulation, academic performance, and accidents. One way to regulate these problems is to practice healthy sleep habits, such as keeping a regular bed time to ensure optimal sleep quality. Additionally, some people with external locus of control, believing events are outside one’s personal control, may disregard their ability to engage in good sleep practices, affecting their overall sleep quality.METHOD: As part of a larger study, Rotter’s Locus of Control (LOC) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were utilized to assess college students over the course of an academic term. Participants (N=34) ranged in age from 18-22 (M=19.73) with 19 females and 15 males.
 RESULTS: An ANOVA assessing the relationship between LOC and Global PSQI scores indicated a main effect of LOC (p=.045), such that those with an external LOC had higher overall PSQI scores (M=8.59) than those with an internal LOC (M=6.28). An additional ANOVA examining regular bed times and Global PSQI scores showed a main effect of bed time (p=.016), such that those without a regular bed time had higher overall PSQI scores (M=8.47). Furthermore, participants’ scores were above the accepted clinical cutoff of 5 for Global PSQI indicating overall poor sleep quality.CONCLUSION: The results suggest that among emerging adults, an external LOC and not having a regular bed time are associated with worse overall sleep quality than those who have a set bed time and have an internal LOC. These findings suggest that manipulations of one’s locus of control as well as education about sleep hygiene might be a point of intervention for college students to improve sleep quality and, subsequently, academics and mood.