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Sleep problems and pain: a longitudinal cohort study in emerging adults
Irma J Bonvanie1, Albertine J Oldehinkel, Judith G M Rosmalen
1Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Pain
|December 20, 2015
Summary
Sleep problems predict long-term chronic and musculoskeletal pain in emerging adults, particularly females. Fatigue mediates this effect, suggesting sleep interventions may help manage pain.
Area of Science:
- * Behavioral Science
- * Pain Medicine
- * Sleep Science
Background:
- * Bidirectional relationship between sleep and pain is established in adolescents and middle-aged adults.
- * Long-term effects of sleep problems on pain severity in emerging adults remain unclear.
- * Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) represents a critical developmental period for understanding health trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- * Investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sleep problems and chronic pain.
- * Examine the relationship between sleep problems and specific pain types: musculoskeletal, headache, and abdominal pain.
- * Determine if sex, anxiety/depression symptoms, fatigue, or physical inactivity moderate or mediate these relationships.
Main Methods:
- * Utilized data from the longitudinal Dutch TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (N=1753).
- * Employed autoregressive cross-lagged models to analyze data from the fourth and fifth assessment waves (3-year follow-up).
- * Assessed chronic pain, musculoskeletal pain, headache, and abdominal pain severity, alongside sleep problems and potential mediators/moderators.
Main Results:
- * Sleep problems were associated with higher severity of chronic pain, musculoskeletal pain, headache, and abdominal pain.
- * Sleep problems prospectively predicted chronic pain and increased musculoskeletal pain severity over 3 years.
- * This prospective effect was more pronounced in females and mediated by fatigue, not anxiety, depression, or physical inactivity.
Conclusions:
- * Sleep problems are significant predictors of future pain severity in emerging adults, especially for musculoskeletal pain in females.
- * Fatigue appears to be a key mediator in the relationship between sleep problems and prospective pain development.
- * Targeting sleep problems and fatigue may be a valuable strategy for managing chronic pain in this demographic, particularly for young women.
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