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Traumatic Event Exposure, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Sleep Disturbances in a National Sample of U.S. Adults
Author(s) -
Milanak Melissa E.,
Zuromski Kelly L.,
Cero Ian,
Wilkerson Allison K.,
Resnick Heidi S.,
Kilpatrick Dean G.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.22360
Subject(s) - insomnia , sleep disorder , posttraumatic stress , psychiatry , psychology , clinical psychology , young adult , medicine , developmental psychology
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent, debilitating disorder found to develop after exposure to a potentially traumatic event (PTE). Individuals with PTSD often report sleep disturbances, specifically nightmares and insomnia, which are listed within the criteria for PTSD. This research examined prevalence of insomnia and nightmares within a national sample of 2,647 adults (data weighted by age and sex to correct for differences in sample distribution) who had been exposed to one or more PTEs. Prevalence of self‐reported sleep disturbance, sleep disturbances by PTE type, and gender differences were examined. All participants completed a self‐administered, structured online interview that assessed exposure to stressful events and PTSD symptoms. Among individuals who met DSM‐5 criteria for PTSD, a large majority (more than 92%) reported at least one sleep disturbance. Insomnia was relatively more prevalent than PTE‐related nightmares among individuals with PTSD and among all PTE‐exposed individuals. A higher number of PTEs experienced significantly increased the likelihood of both trauma‐related nightmares and insomnia, McFadden's pseudo R 2 = .07, p < .001. Women exposed to PTEs were more likely to endorse experience of insomnia, χ 2 (1, N = 2,647) = 99.13, p < .001, φ = .194, and nightmares compared to men, χ 2 (1, N = 2,648) = 82.98, p < .001, φ = .177, but this gender difference was not significant among individuals with PTSD, p s = .130 and .050, respectively. Differences in sleep disturbance prevalence by PTE type were also examined. Implications for treatment and intervention and future directions are discussed.