Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Adult Sleep Duration, Control Over Sleep, and Daytime Sleepiness

Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Adult Sleep Duration, Control Over Sleep, and Daytime Sleepiness

Introduction
Adverse childhood events have been linked with many mental and physical health risks, but less work has explored nighttime and daytime sleep problems, especially inability to control sleep.

Methods
Data were obtained from the Sleep and Healthy Activity, Diet, Environment, and Socialization (SHADES) study of N=1007 adults aged 22-60 years recruited from communities in southeastern Pennsylvania. Adverse childhood experiences were defined as a self-reported history of child abuse, parent divorce, parent death, parent with depression, parent with anxiety disorder, and childhood poverty (yes/no). Habitual sleep duration was assessed in hours, daytime sleepiness was assessed with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and control over sleep was assessed with the Brief Index of Sleep Control (BRISC). Covariates included age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education. Additional models included depression severity, assessed using a modified version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

Results
History of child abuse was associated with 23 fewer minutes of nighttime sleep (p=0.001), and parent anxiety was associated with 15 fewer minutes (p=0.048). When depression was added to the model, the effects for sleep duration were attenuated (15.3 minutes, p=0.03). No other relationships were observed. Regarding control over nighttime sleep, decreased sense of control was reported by those who experienced child abuse (B=-0.4, p< 0.0005), parent divorce (B=-0.1, p=0.035), and parent depression (B=-0.2, p=0.02). After adjusting for depression, the relationship with child abuse was attenuated but maintained (B=-0.2, p< 0.0005). Elevated ESS scores were seen in those who reported child abuse (B=4.7, p< 0.0005), parent depression (B=4.3, p< 0.0005), and parent anxiety (B=3.9, p< 0.0005). After adjusting for depression, relationships were attenuated but maintained for child abuse (B=2.0, p=0.02), parent depression (B=2.2, p=0.004), and parent anxiety (B=2.2, p=0.017).

Conclusion
Adverse childhood events may lead to sleep/wake dysregulation, including less sleep at night, more sleepiness during the day, and decreased sense of control over sleep ability. Future efforts might focus on increasing control over nighttime sleep and reducing daytime sleepiness.

Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions.