0119 Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Self-Rated Multidimensional Sleep Health

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbances are common among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with PTSD experience heightened sensitivity in brain regions involved in fear and emotion regulation, which may impair sleep onset, maintenance, depth, duration and quality. This suggests that PTSD may be influencing multiple aspects of sleep at once. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine associations between symptoms of PTSD, and self-rated multidimensional sleep health. Methods A community sample of midlife adults living in the deep south (N=70; Age=52.93±9.05; Female=75.7%; 11.42% African American) completed a demographic measure, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and a self-rated measure of multidimensional sleep health (created by summing scores on items assessing satisfaction, duration, regularity, alertness, efficiency and timing). Bivariate correlations were conducted to test the association between symptoms of PTSD and sleep health. Follow-up multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between sleep health and symptoms of PTSD, while adjusting for sex, age, and BMI. Exploratory analyses were conducted to determine which aspects of sleep health were driving any significant associations with PTSD symptoms. Results Bivariate correlations revealed significant negative relationships between symptoms of PTSD and self-rated multidimensional sleep health (r=-0.349, p=0.003). After accounting for age, sex, and BMI, regression analyses demonstrated a significant inverse relationship between symptoms of PTSD and sleep health, such that a one unit increase in PTSD symptoms corresponded to a 0.09 decrease in a multidimensional measure of sleep health (b=-0.099, t=-3.24, p=.002, R2=0.144). In separate multiple regression models, accounting for BMI, age and sex, greater PTSD symptoms were associated with poor sleep satisfaction (b=-0.021, t=-2.49, p=.015, R2=0.137) and poor sleep efficiency (b=-0.029, t=-2.90, p=.005, R2=0.131), but unrelated to other aspects of sleep health (ps .05). Conclusion Symptoms of PTSD were significantly negatively associated with self-reported multidimensional sleep health. These results were driven primarily by poor sleep efficiency and satisfaction with sleep. These findings add to growing literature on PTSD and sleep and suggest specific targets for interventions. Support (if any) Support was provided by the Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) P30 AG0301054 from the NIA.