The Theory of Planned Behavior and Sleep Opportunity: An Ecological Momentary Assessment of Intra-Individual Variability

• Main Author: Mead, Michael Phillip
• Format: Others
• Published: North Dakota State University 2021
• Subjects: ecological momentary assessment; intra-individual variability; sleep; theory of planned behavior
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31927

Insufficient sleep duration is associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes, and many Americans report that they are not meeting sleep duration recommendations. Many individuals choose to restrict their own sleep, yet little is known about the source of this sleep deficit. Recent research efforts have used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict sleep health behavior. However, this research is limited in that it fails to measure volitional sleep behavior and focuses exclusively on between-person differences. This study addressed these limitations by using an intensive longitudinal design to test how constructs of the TPB relate to nightly sleep opportunity. Healthy college students (N=79) completed a week long study in which they completed 4 ecological momentary assessment signals per day that measured their attitudes, perceived norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions relating to their nocturnal sleep opportunity. Participants wore an actiwatch each night of the study to measure their sleep opportunity. Analyses revealed between- and within-day variability of attitudes, perceived norms, PBC, and intentions. Further, there were significant between- and within-day trajectories of these constructs. Mixed linear models demonstrated that both intentions and PBC were significant predictors of subsequent sleep opportunity, and that PBC was the strongest predictor of future intentions. The between-and within-day patterns of these constructs highlight important considerations for their measurement, and provide insight into the potential refinement of sleep promotion efforts. Results also demonstrate that within-person changes in PBC and intentions predict subsequent sleep opportunity, demonstrating the need for a daily framework when using the TPB to predict sleep health behavior.