Socioeconomic Status Moderates the Impact of Emotional but not Physical Childhood Abuse on Women's Sleep.

A recent systematic review highlighted associations between childhood abuse and adult sleep quality, and the need for research focused specifically on women and the role of moderating variables. The objectives of the present study were (1) to assess the impact of frequent physical and emotional child abuse on adult sleep among women; and (2) to assess the role that childhood socioeconomic status (SES) could play in moderating these associations. In-person data were collected from women living in a mid-sized city in western Canada in 2019-2020 (N = 185; M age = 40 years). Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Physical and emotional abuse experienced often or very often in childhood were assessed using single items (yes or no). Childhood SES was assessed by a single item and dichotomized at the sample median. Linear regression models examined associations between each form of abuse and continuous adult sleep quality score adjusted for covariates. Statistically significant interactions were stratified and examined by child SES group. Frequent physical and emotional childhood abuse were each associated with clinically and statistically significant increases in past-month sleep problem scores among women in adjusted models. This association was moderated by childhood SES for emotional child abuse, but not physical child abuse. Findings suggest that growing up in an upper-middle to upper SES household may buffer the adverse impact of frequent emotional child abuse on later adult sleep, but may not promote resilience in the context of frequent physical child abuse.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences are associated with binge drinking during pregnancy in a dose-dependent pattern: Findings from the All Our Families cohort.

BACKGROUND: Binge drinking (BD) is a serious risk factor for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and associated with more severe forms of the disorder. Thus, special attention to specific risk factors for BD adjacent to and during pregnancy is warranted. OBJECTIVES: (1) To examine the role that maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may play in BD in the 12 months before pregnancy and during pregnancy in a sample of women with moderate to high socioeconomic status; and (2) to examine the sociodemographic correlates of BD before and during pregnancy within this sample. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This secondary analysis (N = 1663) was derived from the All Our Families prospective cohort study collected in Alberta, Canada between 2008-2011. METHODS: Data were collected using three mailed surveys completed by women during and after pregnancy. An established scale examined maternal ACEs before 18 years. Adjusted logistic regression models tested associations between ACE score and BD before and during pregnancy. RESULTS: Approximately 5 in 10 (48.3 %) and 1 in 10 (10.0 %) women reported ≥1 BD episode before and during pregnancy; respectively. In adjusted models, a woman's ACE score was associated with BD pre-pregnancy in a weak, nonmonotonic fashion; and during pregnancy in a moderate, dose-response fashion. Overall, ACEs resulted in two to three-fold increase in the odds of BD during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal ACEs were common in this middle to upper-middle income, well-educated sample and impacted the next generation through BD in pregnancy. These findings combine with others to speak to the public health significance of maternal ACEs on alcohol-related behaviour among expectant mothers across the socioeconomic spectrum, and the need for targeted evidence-based interventions for this population.

Trauma-informed interventions versus control for cancer-risk behaviours among adults: rationale and design for a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use, alcohol use, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption are each associated with increased cancer-risk. Psychological trauma is a common experience and a key driver of these behaviours among adults. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of trauma-informed yoga, drumming, and psychoeducation compared to control on tobacco use, alcohol use, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among community-based adults. Secondary aims are to evaluate the effect of these interventions compared to control on psychological and physiological stress symptomology, social connection, and coping behaviour. METHODS: Recruitment for this single-blinded randomized trial began in April 2019 in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Adults who consumed tobacco, alcohol, or sugar-sweetened beverages in the past month and live in Lethbridge, Alberta are being recruited using ads placed in public spaces. Participants are randomly allocated to a 12-session group yoga class, 12-session group drumming class, a 12-session psychoeducation class, or control. Participants attend an appointment in-person to fill out an online questionnaire package, provide a saliva sample, and complete physical measures pre-intervention, and 1-month and 6-months post-intervention. DISCUSSION: This study provides a unique opportunity to compare the impacts of two trauma-informed body-based interventions to psychoeducation and control for cancer-risk behaviour among community-based adults. The findings can be used to develop trauma-informed group interventions to reduce cancer-risk behaviour in general populations. Results are expected in 2022. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ISRCTN15583681 on 22 August 2019 (retrospectively registered).