Sleep and Interpersonal Violence: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Sleep disturbance is a significant public health issue that disproportionately affects survivors of interpersonal violence (IPV). This systematic review presents data on the relationship of IPV and sleep. Inclusion criteria for this review were studies that included subjects 18 years of age or older, used an IPV measure and sleep disturbance measure, and were published in a peer-reviewed journal in English. A total of 23 articles met full inclusion criteria and were included in the present review. Studies were largely cross sectional, were conducted in a wide range of clinical and nonclinical samples, and utilized a variety of measures to assess IPV (sexual violence, physical violence, or psychological aggression perpetrated by an intimate partner or sexual or physical violence by any perpetrator in childhood or adulthood) and sleep disturbances (both general sleep disturbance excluding specific sleep disorders and the two specific sleep disorders of insomnia and nightmares). The findings examined the prevalence and association of sleep disturbance in IPV samples from population and community studies, the prevalence and association of sleep disturbance in IPV studies, and the associations between post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disturbance in IPV samples. All studies identified a relationship between IPV and sleep disturbance. The results of this review provide important information for clinicians, researchers, and policy makers on the prevalence of and relationship between IPV and sleep disturbance.

Social Safety Theory: A Biologically Based Evolutionary Perspective on Life Stress, Health, and Behavior

“…Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling or staying asleep, nonrestorative sleep, early-morning awakening) is a strong predictor of both inflammation-related disease risk and all-cause mortality (Irwin 2019). Although sleep disturbance is relatively common in general, with up to 48% of adults reporting at least some sleep complaints, it is especially prevalent among persons exposed to stressors that threaten social safety, such as interpersonal violence and aggression (Gallegos et al 2019).…”

“…The idea that social attachment is important and that threats to social bonds can strongly affect people is not new. Indeed, a rich literature exists showing that interpersonal relationships are critical for survival (Ainsworth et al 1978), that humans are fundamentally motivated to socially connect (Baumeister & Leary 1995), and that this basic motivation structures social cognition and behavior (Gilbert 2005). Several reviews have also explained how threats to social standing can affect health (Dickerson 2008, Kemeny 2009) and why social rejection and exclusion may be particularly potent in this regard (Allen & Badcock 2003, Williams 2007.…”

The Effects of Exposure to Domestic Violence on Sleep Among Urban Adults

“…With samples that have substantial representations of Black and Hispanic respondents, as in the present study, we can begin to understand how exposure to violence impacts sleep among racial and ethnic minority populations-and this addresses challenges to previous studies that lack adequate sample sizes of racial minorities. 24,25 In Chicago, neighborhood-based health inequities create a substantial disparity in health and life expectancy between majority Black and White neighborhoods, and findings in the present study document an important potential contributor to this disparity. 38 The present study's findings may also inform health disparities research, nationally.…”

“…24 In a recent systematic review that examined adults who had experienced IPV and had sleep disturbances, authors cite that few studies examined the relationship between IPV victimization and sleep by race and ethnicity. 25 In another recent review examining adverse childhood experiences (both direct and indirect exposure to violence) and sleep disorders among adults, only one study examined racial and ethnic disparities—documenting disparities in sleep among racial groups and calling for the need for additional research. 26 Gaining a better understanding of how exposure to domestic violence affects sleep is important as racial minorities such as Hispanic and African American women are victims of domestic violence more often than White women.…”

Gender Differences in Mental Health Outcomes Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Collapsing Economy: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Although the rates reported in our study is lower than what was previously described in Lebanon [16,17], probably due to the university level of education of the majority of our participants, we have been able to identify that this domestic violence was associated with higher levels of stress and insomnia, with borderline results for anxiety and mental well-being. The overall relationship between interpersonal violence and these factors has been described in the literature, even if not in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic [38,39]. This outcome is expected in time of crisis and lockdown, and is a direct consequence of forced con nement with a violent partner, with decreased resources, enhanced psychological stress, increased negative coping mechanisms (such as alcohol or smoking), and reduced ability to access usual support [7,[9][10][11]19].…”