The association between adverse childhood experiences and insomnia symptoms from adolescence to adulthood: Evidence...

Adverse childhood experiences are potentially traumatic events that occur up to age 17, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Such trauma often results in chronic stress and poor sleep health, which are linked to negative health outcomes across the lifespan. This study examines the longitudinal association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and insomnia symptoms from adolescence to adulthood.

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were used to examine the association between ACEs and insomnia symptoms (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, dichotomized based on self-reported frequency of 3 times per week or more). We used weighted logistic regression to examine the association between cumulative ACE score (0, 1, 2-3, 4+), 10 specific ACEs, and insomnia symptoms.

Of 12,039 participants, 75.3% experienced at least one adverse childhood experience and 14.7% experienced 4 or more. We found specific adverse childhood experiences, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, parental incarceration, parental alcoholism, foster home placement, and community violence were associated with experiencing insomnia symptoms throughout the entire 22-year follow-up period from adolescence to mid-adulthood (p < .05), while childhood poverty was only associated with insomnia symptoms in mid-adulthood. The number of adverse childhood experiences showed a dose-response association with insomnia symptoms in adolescence (1 adverse childhood experience: adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.47 [1.16, 1.87], 4+ adverse childhood experiences: aOR= 2.76, [2.18, 3.50]), early adulthood (1 adverse childhood experience: aOR= 1.43 [1.16, 1.75], 4+ adverse childhood experiences: aOR= 3.07 [2.47, 3.83]) and mid-adulthood (1 adverse childhood experience: aOR= 1.13 [0.94, 1.37], 4+ adverse childhood experiences: aOR= 1.89 [confidence interval: 1.53, 2.32]).

Adverse childhood experiences are associated with an increased risk for insomnia symptoms across the lifespan.