Contribution of post-trauma insomnia to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in women service members: findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Abstract Study Objectives We examined whether women service members and veterans who reported recent combat and/or sexual trauma experiences had a greater risk of insomnia compared with women who did not report these recent experiences, and whether insomnia would be associated with a greater risk of mental health outcomes. Methods We analyzed two waves of survey data (2011–2013, Time 1 [T1] and 2014–2016, Time 2 [T2]) from 26 443 current and former women service members from the Millennium Cohort Study. We assessed recent traumas in the past 3 years, and probable insomnia at T1 and probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression at T2. A longitudinal mediation model was used to quantify separate indirect effects of recent traumas on mental health outcomes through probable insomnia. Results Women who had experienced recent sexual assault (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.24–2.10), sexual harassment (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.05–1.41), and combat (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.20–1.49) at T1 had a greater risk of probable insomnia at T1 compared with women who had not recently experienced these events. Probable insomnia at T1, in turn, was associated with probable depression (OR = 2.66; 95% CI = 2.31–3.06) and PTSD (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 2.27–2.90) at T2. Recent combat experience did not moderate the associations of recent sexual trauma with insomnia or mental health outcomes. Conclusions Insomnia contributes to the risk of subsequent mental health conditions following trauma. The diagnosis and treatment of post-trauma insomnia should be prioritized to mitigate the development of posttraumatic mental health conditions. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract