Childhood Trauma, Perceived Stress, and Developmental Trajectories of Sleep Problems in Adolescents

Both childhood trauma as a stressful event and perceived stress as stress appraisal increase the risks of sleep problems, particularly among adolescents. However, how childhood trauma and perceived stress exert a combined effect on the development of sleep problems in adolescence remains unclear. The present study investigated the heterogeneous developmental trajectories of sleep problems among adolescents, and whether childhood trauma and perceived stress sequentially or interactively affected the heterogeneous trajectories of sleep problems. Altogether 197 adolescents completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire at T1 (Nov. 2021), the Perceived Stress Scale at T2 (May 2023), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at T1, T2, and T3 (May 2024). Results revealed three heterogeneous trajectories of sleep problems, including the low group, the high-increasing group, and the moderate-increasing group. In addition, higher perceived stress rather than childhood trauma independently predicted a greater likelihood of being in the high-increasing group or moderate-increasing group relative to the low group. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and the heterogeneous trajectories of sleep problems. However, the interaction effect of childhood trauma and perceived stress on the heterogeneous trajectories of sleep problems was non-significant. These findings suggest that childhood trauma and perceived stress sequentially rather than interactively affect the heterogeneous developmental trajectories of adolescent sleep problems.