Abstract
Introduction
Greater perceived neighborhood safety (PNS) has been linked to better sleep quality and longer sleep duration. There is also evidence that past exposure to traumatic events may be associated with lower perceived personal safety and poor mental health. Yet, the moderating effects of lifetime trauma exposure on the association between PNS and sleep (duration & latency), has not been assessed.
Methods
We used cross-sectional data from 190 healthy NYC Latino adults. Lifetime trauma exposure was measured using the Life Events Checklist [LEC] (a count of traumatic events that happened to or were witnessed). In the first set of models, we regressed self-reported sleep duration in minutes (continuous), on PNS (safe vs. not safe), a single item scale, with three covariates (i.e. age, gender, education). In the second set, self-reported sleep latency in minutes, replaced sleep duration. To test for moderation, interaction terms—LEC x PNS—were added to covariate-adjusted models. In sensitivity analyses, regression models were re-run with adjustment for PTSD symptoms, and with short sleep duration (<7hours) as the outcome.
Results
On average, participants were 37.9 years old (SE= 1.02), 65.8% female, 59.5% foreign-born, and 33.2% completed < Bachelor’s degree. Overall, 43.68% slept <7 hours and 83.68% were exposed to >1 traumatic event in their lifetime. In adjusted models, each traumatic event (b= -2.95, SE = 1.34, p=0.03) was negatively associated with sleep duration. When PTSD symptoms was added, trauma was no longer statistically significant (b=-1.08, SE=1.02, p=0.18). However, each traumatic event exposure was associated with a 10% higher odds of short sleep duration (OR= 1.10, CI=1.02, 1.15), and this association remained significant with adjustment for PTSD symptoms. No interaction terms were significant. In models for sleep latency, there were no statistically significant main effects for LEC or interaction terms.
Conclusion
We found a dose response in the negative association between lifetime exposure to trauma and sleep duration, but not sleep latency. Trauma history did not moderate the association between PNS and sleep. These results suggest that short sleep duration may be particularly sensitive to lifetime exposure to trauma independent of neighborhood safety. Future studies should replicate these results in population-based samples.
Support (if any):
Lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in relation to health-related behaviors and physiological measures among Malaysian adolescents.
