Sleepless nights explained
A study has found seniors who suffered from emotional parental abuse as a child may increase a person’s chances of having poor sleep quality in old age.
A study has found seniors who suffered from emotional parental abuse as a child may increase a person’s chances of having poor sleep quality in old age.
According to a research article in the current issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences, an analysis of data from 877 adults aged 60 years and above, found early parental emotional abuse was associated with a higher number of sleep complaints in old age.
It was specifically emotional abuse rather than physical abuse or emotional neglect that was tied to trouble in getting a good night’s sleep.
The study’s lead author, Cecilia Poon, said a negative early attachment continued to exert “an influence on our well-being decades later through an accumulation of stressful interpersonal experiences across our lives”.
“The impact of abuse stays in the system. Emotional trauma may limit a person’s ability to fend for themselves emotionally and successfully navigate the social world,” Ms Poon said.
The data was taken from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.
In 1995, approximately 3,500 adults responded to questions about their childhood.
A decade later, they were asked follow-up questions about sleep, relationships, and emotional distress.
Emotional abuse was assessed by asking participants how often their mother and father insulted or swore at them, sulked or refused to talk to them, stomped out of the room, did or said something to spite them, threatened to hit them, or smashed or knocked something in anger.
The same survey found emotional abuse during childhood also was associated with poorer relationships in adulthood.
