Fear of Sleep in Undergraduates with a History of Sexual Trauma

TL;DR

This study found that fear of sleep differs among undergraduates with a history of sexual trauma, highlighting distinct fears like nightmares.

Contribution

The study identifies unique fear-of-sleep factors specific to sexual trauma survivors, distinguishing nightmares from other sleep fears.

Findings

Four latent factors of fear of sleep were identified in women with sexual trauma: vigilance, fear of the dark, fear of nightmares, and vulnerability.

The fear of nightmares was distinct from other sleep fear facets in women with a history of sexual trauma.

The factor structure was validated with convergent and discriminant validity in a second sample.

Abstract

Fear of sleep may drive the development of trauma-related sleep disturbances but may differ across potentially traumatic events (PTEs). This study tested whether the factor structure of the Fear of Sleep Inventory-Short Form (FOSI-SF) differed between women with a history of sexual traumas (ST: including sexual assault and other sexual traumas) and women reporting other Non-ST PTEs. Two samples of undergraduate women who endorsed a history of PTEs (n = 339 and n = 318) completed a battery of questionnaires including the FOSI-SF, as well as other psychological and sleep screening measures. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis in Sample 1 and a confirmatory analysis in Sample 2. In the sample of women endorsing a history of ST, but not those with Non-ST PTEs, four latent factors adequately fit the data: vigilance, fear of the dark, fear of nightmares, and vulnerability. This structure was replicated in the second sample that included only women with a history of ST and showed appropriate convergent and discriminant validity with other study measures. This study illustrates that fear of sleep may differ across PTE, and that for those with a history of ST, the fear of nightmares appears to be distinct from other facets of the fear of sleep construct.