Abstract
Study Objectives: To examine the association between childhood exposure to family conflict and insomnia at 18 years.
Design: Longitudinal prospective data on an entire birth cohort were obtained. Parents completed the Conflict subscale of the Moos Family Environment Scale when the study members were 7, 9, 13 and 15 years of age. Insomnia was examined in a standardized interview when the participants were aged 18 years.
Setting: Participants were born in Dunedin, New Zealand and were interviewed at this location. Patients or Participants: A total of 1,037 children born between April 1, 1972 and March 31, 1973 enrolled in the study (52% male). At age 18 years, 993 (97% of living cohort members) provided data.
Measurements and results: Mean level of family conflict at 7 to 15 years predicted insomnia at 18 years after controlling for sex, SES, sleep problems at 9 and self-reported health (OR (95%CI) = 1.42 (1.17-1.73), P < 0.001). There was a dose-response relationship, whereby the more assessments at which families scored in the top 25% for conflict, the greater the young person's likelihood of developing insomnia at 18 years. This association was present even after controlling for depression at 18 years.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates a modest but robust longitudinal link between family conflict during childhood and insomnia experienced at 18 years. Future work needs to replicate this finding in different populations and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this association.