Insomnia and Styles of Parental Authority in College Students

Abstract

This study explored the hypothesis that styles of parental authority are related to insomnia in college students. To do this, I asked a large group of university students (N = 757) to respond to a questionnaire that included the items of Buri's Parental Authority Questionnaire and the Coren Insomnia Scale. Analysis suggested that more strict and uncompromising discipline engaged in by authoritarian parents was associated with higher insomnia in young adults, while the firm though flexible and warm discipline associated with the authoritative parents was associated with less insomnia. Further, as fathers' permissiveness increased, insomnia decreased, while mothers' permissiveness seemed to be unrelated to insomnia.