Abstract Introduction Nocturnal Loneliness (NoLo), feeling alone at night or with one’s sleep difficulties, is a novel construct that may have important implications for sleep and mental wellbeing. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are robustly associated with general loneliness across the lifespan, and loneliness serves as a key mechanism of disturbed sleep. This study aimed to understand the relationship between ACEs and NoLo, and whether protective and compensatory childhood experiences (PACEs) have a mitigating role in this association. Methods A sample of 442 participants completed questionnaires via Qualtrics accessing NoLo, ACEs, PACEs, and other relevant demographic variables. A three-class Bayesian mixture regression model was used to test whether associations between adversity, protective factors, and nocturnal loneliness indicators differed across latent subgroups. Results We found support for 3 latent classes in the association between ACEs, PACEs, and NoLo when including demographic variables. Higher ACEs was associated with associated with greater NoLo across all three latent classes, whereas PACEs were inversely associated, reflecting consistent protective effects. Groups with higher proportions of females tended to show stronger associations between ACEs and nocturnal loneliness while older age was modestly associated with lower NoLo. Conclusion Our results support and extend prior findings by showing that ACEs are linked not only to general loneliness but also extend into the night, predicting NoLo. The stronger associations between ACEs and NoLo observed in females suggest that NoLo may be an important factor in understanding the heightened sensitivity women show to early adversity in relation to sleep disturbance. Interventions targeting sleep disturbances may benefit from addressing nighttime loneliness, especially for individuals who have been screened for ACE exposure. Additionally, the potential protective role of PACEs may be a target to promote resilience against nocturnal loneliness. Support (if any)
Pattillo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.