|
Abstract
|
Study Objectives:
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with negative consequences on both physical and mental health. It has been found to influence child and adolescent sleep, which is an important developmental factor, which also influences mental and physical health. However, the literature examining this topic is plagued by methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes and unvalidated measures.
Methods:
Using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the present study examined seven subjective sleep dimensions including, sleep latency, efficiency, duration, disturbances, subjective sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, and use of sleep medication, in a sample of 707 adolescent girls aged 14-18 years old.
Results:
Statistical analyses revealed that CSA had a significant moderate association with the total PSQI score. Sexually abused adolescent girls, compared to their non-abused counterparts, reported more sleep difficulties. Significant differences also emerged on all sleep dimensions with abused girls reporting increased difficulties. However, the magnitude of these associations differed from one dimension to another.
Conclusions:
Our findings support the continued study of sleep in adolescent girls who experienced sexual abuse. They also support the use of a fine-grained perspective when assessing various dimensions of sleep health in girl with a history of CSA for improved tertiary prevention and intervention.
Language: en |