IngentaConnect How is persistent insomnia maintained? A prospective study on 506...

Authors: Jansson-Fröjmark, Markus¹; Lundquist, Daniel¹; Lundquist, Nina¹; Linton, Steven J.¹

Source: British Journal of Health Psychology, Volume 13, Number 1, February 2008 , pp. 121-133(13)

Publisher: British Psychological Society

Abstract:

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to examine whether arousal, distress and sleep-related beliefs are related to the maintenance of insomnia in old adults.

DesignFrom a randomly selected sample from the general population (N=3,600; 50-60 years old), 2,239 participants filled out a baseline and 1-year follow-up survey.

MethodsLogistic regressions were used to investigate whether psychological mechanisms were related to sleep status (insomnia: N=230; poor sleep: N=210; normal sleep: N=658; good sleep: N=253) over one year. Cluster analysis was employed to assess whether it was possible to classify the participants based on their profiles of psychological functioning.

ResultsThe results showed that arousal, sleep-related beliefs about future consequences and anxiety were significantly related to the maintenance of insomnia (14-66% of the variance). Out of the individuals with persistent insomnia, 67% belonged to a cluster characterized by high scores on arousal, sleep-related beliefs and anxiety, 24% to a cluster defined by medium scores on the three mechanisms and 9% to a cluster characterized by low scores on the three mechanisms.

ConclusionsThis investigation shows not only that arousal, sleep-related beliefs and anxiety are associated with the maintenance of persistent insomnia, but also that these mechanisms often co-occur in individuals with persistent insomnia.

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How is persistent insomnia maintained? A prospective study on 50-60 years old adults in the general population