Sleep disorders mediate the link between childhood trauma and depression severity in children and adolescents with depression

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood trauma is closely related to the onset of depression and more severe depressive symptoms; however, the specific mechanisms are unclear. We aimed to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and sleep disorders in children and adolescents with depression and to explore further the role of sleep disorders in the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity.MethodsA total of 285 children and adolescents with depression completed all scale assessments, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Self-Reported Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. A simple mediation model was used as a theoretical model to examine whether sleep disorders could mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity.ResultsAmong children and adolescents with depression, childhood trauma is about 78.9%. Compared with patients without childhood trauma, patients with childhood trauma had a higher incidence of sleep disorders (Z = 17.59, P < 0.001), which were characterized by insomnia (Z = 14.45, P < 0.001), not hypersomnia (Z = 2.77, P = 0.096). Different childhood trauma subtypes significantly affected sleep disorders and insomnia (all P < 0.05). Insomnia partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity, and the mediating effect accounted for 35.90%.ConclusionThis study found a high rate of concurrent childhood trauma and insomnia among children and adolescents with depression. Insomnia, as a mediator between childhood trauma and depression severity, partially mediates the relationship.

Reported history of childhood trauma, mentalizing deficits, and hypersomnia in adulthood: A mediational analysis in a nonclinical sample

“…Indirect model In this study, physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect did not predict hypersomnia, which is in agreement with studies by Laskemoen et al (2021) and also Luo et al (2022). The outcomes of this study imply that distinct trauma subtypes may interact differently with sleep mechanisms as physiological responses to stress.…”

“…( 2021 ) and also Luo et al. ( 2022 ). The outcomes of this study imply that distinct trauma subtypes may interact differently with sleep mechanisms as physiological responses to stress.…”

“…On the contrary, Luo et al. ( 2022 ) studied the correlation between childhood trauma and hypersomnia in patients with depression and did not find it significant ( r = .081, p = .175). Although studies mentioned above have explored the relationship between childhood trauma and hypersomnia, this relationship is still understudied and therefore was the focus of the present study.…”

Differentiation between depression and bipolar disorder in child and adolescents by voice features

“…The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the MDD group and the healthy population were described in our previous study [14] , and patients who met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria [4] for bipolar disorder were included in the bipolar disorder group under the same criteria. Subjects were assessed for depressive symptoms and severity using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) [15] and for manic symptoms and severity using the Young manic rating scale (YMRS) [16] .…”

“…In our previous study, we explored the differences in voice features between children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and healthy controls, and established a multidimensional voiceprint feature assessment system with a sensitivity of 92.73% and a speci city of 90.91% for MDD through comprehensive feature screening [14] . We will conduct the present study based on previous studies, aiming to nd vocal features that can be used to differentiate between three groups of children and adolescents with depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and healthy controls, and to achieve e cient identi cation of emotional disorders in children and adolescents.…”