766 Anxiety is a potential mediating factor in the insomnia-aggression association

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Several recent studies have found an association between insomnia and increased aggression. Aggression may increase arousal, thereby predisposing individuals to sleep difficulties. Conversely, insomnia may impair brain circuitry involved in aggression. Ultimately, the relationship between insomnia and aggression remains poorly understood and understudied. This study sought to explore this association in a sample of individuals with a wide range of insomnia symptom severity, stratified from minimal to moderately severe. Methods Participants’ (N=66) insomnia symptoms were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index. Participants also completed daily sleep diaries for 7–21 days followed by an ambulatory polysomnography overnight sleep study to characterize participants’ sleep and to rule out organic sleep disorders. The evening of the overnight sleep study, participants completed the 34-item Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess associations between insomnia, AQ total score, and the AQ subscale scores (i.e., physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, hostility, indirect aggression). Multiple regression was utilized to determine whether aggression was associated with insomnia severity while adjusting for demographic features, depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety inventory). Results In bivariate analyses, insomnia severity was significantly correlated with the AQ total score and with the anger and hostility subscales of the AQ (r=0.297, p<0.05; r=0.266, p<0.05; r=0.321, p<0.05 respectively). When adjusting for the significant association between anxiety and insomnia in multiple regression analyses, anger and hostility were no longer significantly associated with insomnia severity(p>.05). Conclusion Our investigation suggests that the association between insomnia and aggression is most specific to anger and hostility but that these associations may be better explained by their shared associations with anxiety. Support (if any):