Christopher A Webb1,2, Ruifeng Cui3, Caitlin Titus1, Amy Fiske3,4, Michael R Nadorff1,5. 1. a Department of Psychology , Mississippi State University , Starkville , Mississippi , USA. 2. b Department of Psychology, California Department of State Hospitals- Atascadero , Atascadero , California , USA. 3. c Department of Psychology , West Virginia University , Morgantown , West Virginia , USA. 4. d Injury Control Research Center , West Virginia University , Morgantown , West Virginia , USA. 5. e Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Research suggests sleep disturbance plays a role in depression and risk for suicidal behavior (i.e., ideation, attempts, death by suicide). How sleep disturbance affects suicide risk is unclear and one's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) may help explain this relation. This study examined associations between sleep problems, ADLs, and either depressive symptoms or suicide risk among older adults. We hypothesized that ADLs would mediate relations between sleep problems and depressive symptoms and suicide risk. METHOD: Participants (N = 134; age ≥65) were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed insomnia symptoms, nightmares, ADLs, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behaviors. RESULTS: Nightmares were associated with depressive symptoms and suicide risk but not independently associated with ADLs. Insomnia symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms, suicide risk, and ADLs. ADLs mediated the relation between insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms. The insomnia symptom-suicidal behavior relation and the nightmare-suicidal behavior relation were significantly mediated by a pathway containing ADLs and depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: ADLs help explain how insomnia symptoms and nightmares confer suicide risk among older adults, either independently or in association with depressive symptoms. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should attend to ADL performance when treating older adults with insomnia and depression.
OBJECTIVE: Research suggests sleep disturbance plays a role in depression and risk for suicidal behavior (i.e., ideation, attempts, death by suicide). How sleep disturbance affects suicide risk is unclear and one's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) may help explain this relation. This study examined associations between sleep problems, ADLs, and either depressive symptoms or suicide risk among older adults. We hypothesized that ADLs would mediate relations between sleep problems and depressive symptoms and suicide risk. METHOD:Participants (N = 134; age ≥65) were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed insomnia symptoms, nightmares, ADLs, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behaviors. RESULTS: Nightmares were associated with depressive symptoms and suicide risk but not independently associated with ADLs. Insomnia symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms, suicide risk, and ADLs. ADLs mediated the relation between insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms. The insomnia symptom-suicidal behavior relation and the nightmare-suicidal behavior relation were significantly mediated by a pathway containing ADLs and depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: ADLs help explain how insomnia symptoms and nightmares confer suicide risk among older adults, either independently or in association with depressive symptoms. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should attend to ADL performance when treating older adults with insomnia and depression.
Authors: Patricia Concheiro-Moscoso; Francisco José Martínez-Martínez; María Del Carmen Miranda-Duro; Thais Pousada; Laura Nieto-Riveiro; Betania Groba; Francisco Javier Mejuto-Muiño; Javier Pereira Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-01-27 Impact factor: 3.390