Bedtime procrastination is increasingly recognized as a widespread impediment to health-promoting sleep. Based on its potential malleability, bedtime procrastination is starting to be targeted for intervention using traditional health behavior models, but other cognitive and emotional factors that potentially modulate bedtime procrastination warrant more targeted intervention. The present research recruited college students (n = 93) with self-reported tendencies toward bedtime procrastination and low self-compassion early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and it examined a hybrid intervention model involving a single group meeting and home practices that focused on comprehensive sleep hygiene or intentional self-compassion practices, simultaneously leveraging social motivation and commitment. It also examined bedtime procrastination, sleep, emotion regulation, and procrastinatory cognitions. The study showed evidence for feasibility, acceptability, reduced bedtime procrastination, improved sleep, and moderated mediation whereby the relationship between increased self-compassion and decreased bedtime procrastination was mediated by improved emotion regulation for those with elevated reductions in procrastinatory cognition. Predictors of bedtime procrastination reduction and other relevant sequelae differed between self-compassion and sleep hygiene virtual trainings. Thus, the present research expands and synthesizes a burgeoning literature, suggesting that integrating effective elements into acceptable interventions may help reverse a cycle of self-criticism, emotion dysregulation, bedtime procrastination, and sleep-related difficulties for many who might benefit.

BACKGROUND:Following natural disasters, early helping behavior often dissipates despite remaining disaster-related suffering and affective vulnerability in the community. Interventions that have successfully increased helping behaviors have included components of motivational interviewing (MI) and mindful compassion; however, this research is limited by laboratory-based settings and lengthy training sessions. Brief, portable, and efficient intervention is needed to increase accessibility to large groups simultaneously. METHOD:The current study piloted a brief, online, self-administered MI and mindful compassion intervention administered 4-10 weeks post-Hurricane Harvey examining if it would sustain helping behaviors over the ensuing year. The study also examined potential moderators of the relationship between compassion for others and internalizing symptoms, and whether helping behaviors predicted post-traumatic stress symptoms. RESULTS:The intervention group sustained the use of helping behaviors more than an active control group after 9-12 months. Also, compassion satisfaction and burnout moderated the relationship between compassion for others and post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:Results suggest a potentially useful model of how an efficiently distributed intervention might sustain helping behaviors after a natural disaster and provide insight into possible longitudinal risk and protective factors for post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms among helping volunteers.

Although self-care practice is critical for mental healthcare professionals (MHP) to buffer against the impact of stressors and to prevent psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment, effective self-care may be more difficult for those at greater risk of developing mental health conditions due to sexual minority stress. The present study aimed to examine mental health characteristics, engagement in, and value obtained from self-care, and perceptions about training programs' encouragement of self-care in trainees and professionals of different sexual orientations. Data were collected from MHP trainees and practitioners (n = 547) using an anonymous online survey including measures assessing stress, depression, anxiety, resilience, coping self-efficacy, and self-care strategy usage. Analyses revealed that bisexual individuals reported significantly greater mental health symptoms and self-care strategy usage as compared to heterosexual and gay/lesbian participants. Analyses also revealed lower levels of daily functioning and resilience in bisexual vs. heterosexual or gay/lesbian participants, and that bisexual participants reported obtaining less value from self-care practices than other subgroups. These results suggest that bisexual individuals may experience a unique set of minority stressors which affect their engagement with and benefit from self-care. Implications and suggestions for promoting inclusiveness and positive alterations in self-care engagement in training programs and professional institutions are discussed, including engendering coping self-efficacy through individual skill development, nurturing environments that reinforce self-care, ensuring access to culturally competent services, and promoting engagement in supportive groups and organizations.