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First night effects in post-traumatic stress disorder inpatients
S H Woodward1, D L Bliwise, M J Friedman
1National Center for PTSD, Palo Alto Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Menlo Park Division, CA 94304, USA.
Sleep
|May 1, 1996
Summary
First night effects, a sleep disturbance, are reduced in inpatients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This sleep pattern differs between inpatient and outpatient PTSD and healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Sleep research
- Clinical psychology
- Trauma studies
Background:
- First night effect (FNE) is a common sleep phenomenon.
- Previous research indicated FNE is attenuated in depressed inpatients.
- The FNE in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) populations requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate first night effects (FNE) in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- To compare FNE in PTSD inpatients, PTSD outpatients, and non-ill controls.
- To explore the relationship between FNE and symptom severity in PTSD.
Main Methods:
- Polysomnography was used to measure sleep patterns.
- Participants included 80 PTSD inpatients, non-hospitalized PTSD sufferers, and non-ill controls.
- Statistical analyses examined differences in FNE across groups and correlations with symptom severity.
Main Results:
- PTSD inpatients showed attenuated FNE compared to PTSD outpatients and controls.
- Non-ill combat-exposed subjects exhibited small FNE.
- FNE was statistically independent of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptom severity in inpatients.
Conclusions:
- FNE is attenuated in PTSD inpatients, suggesting altered sleep environment sensitivity.
- Accentuated FNE in PTSD outpatients may indicate heightened environmental awareness.
- Small FNE in non-ill combat-exposed individuals might reflect resilience to trauma.