Abstract

Insomnia is a sleep disorder which is classified by one's persistent inability to fall asleep or maintain sleep. One common yet controversial approach to treating insomnia is sleep hygiene education (SHE). Sleep hygiene is defined as behaviors that promote quality sleep. SHE is typically provided through as a paper sheet containing a list of recommendations, and the findings regarding its efficacy are mixed. Providing insomnia sufferers with a SHE treatment modality that offers practice, feedback, and motivation may be effective at treating insomnia. Therefore, the first goal of the present study is to examine the efficacy of a game-based SHE intervention. After using the game-based intervention for 30 days, participants had significant improvement in overall sleep quality, as well as numerous subcategories of sleep quality. Participants also had a significant decrease in state levels of anxiety. Moreover, previous research has found that certain personality traits are related to one's propensity to achieve a flow state, which is the experience of colloquially "being in the zone" when completing a task or activity. Therefore, the second goal of the study was to examine whether personality predicted flow propensity. Personality was not found predict flow propensity. Finally, a third goal of the study was to examine whether one's propensity for flow predicted sleep improvement. In other words, it was expected that those with a higher propensity for flow would experience better treatment outcomes due to their ability to engage more with the intervention. However, flow propensity was not found to predict sleep improvement. The study's findings collectively demonstrate the efficacy of a game-based treatment approach to insomnia, regardless of individual differences. Recommendations for future research directions are provided.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Bowers, Clint

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology; Human Factors Cognitive Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009409; DP0027132

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027132

Language

English

Release Date

December 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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