Gender role in sleep disturbances among older adults with traumatic brain injury

Older adults are particularly vulnerable to poor long-term outcomes, and the rate of TBI in this group is increasing. Studies have shown females experience worse outcomes from TBI than males, however this research has been limited. The aim of this study is to examine gender effects on the frequency of sleep disturbances in older adults post-TBI. An analysis was conducted on data obtained from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set. A total of 405 patients greater than 60 years of age were examined. Sleep disturbances were measured using the Nighttime Behavioural Disturbances domain of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). A significant difference (p = 0.025) in reported sleep disturbance was identified in the female TBI population relative to the female non-TBI population. In the male non-TBI group, 14.8% (n = 12) experienced nighttime disturbances while 19.8% (n = 17) of those with TBI experienced nighttime disturbances. This difference was not significant (p = 0.305). These results suggest there is a greater impact from traumatic brain injury on sleep disturbances in older females than males. Further research examining gender differences in older adults related to neuropsychiatric outcomes of TBI should be considered given the implications for treatment.