Sleep Disorder, Depression, and Suicidality in Female Sexual Assault Survivors

As an exploratory, hypothesis-generating study, 153 female sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder who had enrolled in a nightmare treatment program were assessed for subjectively determined sleep breathing & sleep movement disorders. Potential sleep breathing & sleep movement disorders were present in 80% of the participants. Based on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale & Suicide subscale, participants with potential sleep disorders suffered greater depression & greater suicidality in comparison to subjects without potential sleep disorders. A provisional hypothesis is formulated describing how sleep disorders may exacerbate depression & suicidality through the effects of chronic sleep fragmentation. (58 refs.)