Taylor Cline, Kent D. Hinkson Jr., Malisa M.Brooks, Craig J. Bryan (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson, Kent (University of Utah, Psychology)
Abstract:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a debilitating and exhaustive disorder that has been under official observation since the first World War and has received attention from Psychologists in both research and clinic settings. In a study by Spoormaker and Montgomery (2008), they determined that disturbed sleep in PTSD is a core feature of the disorder rather than a secondary characteristic. Spoormaker et. al (2008) also indicated that treatment for insomnia for persons with PTSD would be beneficial by offering brief sleep hygiene education, and stimulus control methods in treatment with persons who have PTSD.
This study examines the scores from Item #20 of the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5; “How much were you bothered by trouble falling or staying asleep?”, rated from 0 – 4) and compares them with the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) sum score to determine if Item #20 has a sufficiently strong relationship with respect to the ISI sum score so as to be useful in screening for insomnia in individuals with PTSD. Three hundred twenty-one (n = 321) student veterans participated in the nationwide study. Among the participants, 94.1% of those who marked “1”, “2”, “3”, or “4” on PCL-5 Item #20 met ISI criteria for insomnia, while those who endorsed “0” (“Not at all”) scored substantially below the criteria for insomnia on average. While the eight-item ISI gives more information on the nature of the sleep disturbances, Item #20 of the PCL-5 appears to do a good job at screening for those likely to meet diagnostic criteria for insomnia; this could allow clinicians and primary care staff to reduce the burden during routine mental health screenings among potentially traumatized individuals.