Childhood trauma and adolescent sleep problems: The roles of perceived stress and vagal regulation

Childhood trauma is a risk factor for sleep problems. However, the longitudinal relationship between childhood trauma and sleep problems and the mechanism underlying this link remains unclear. The present study explored the longitudinal relation between childhood trauma and sleep problems, and the mediating role of perceived stress and the moderating role of RSA suppression in this link among adolescents. Altogether, 284 adolescents completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire at baseline, the Perceived Stress Scale 1.5 years later, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at baseline and 1.5 years later, and a speech task during which their data of vagal regulation indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) suppression was obtained at baseline. Results revealed that, after controlling for baseline sleep problems, childhood trauma was positively related to sleep problems 1.5 years later, and perceived stress 1.5 years later mediated this association. RSA suppression moderated the relation between perceived stress and sleep problems among male but not female adolescents. Specifically, perceived stress was positively related to sleep problems among male adolescents with lower RSA suppression, but this association was weaker in those with higher RSA suppression. The findings suggest that perceived stress may represent an important pathway in the longitudinal association between childhood trauma and sleep problems, and male adolescents with lower RSA suppression are more vulnerable to perceived stress and exhibit more sleep problems.