Sleep disturbance in pediatric PTSD: current findings and future directions

A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Pediatric Chronic Pain

OBJECTIVES

This review outlines a conceptual framework adapted from the biopsychosocial model of pain to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic pain in youth to highlight the state of current research and guide future efforts.

METHODS

A review of the literature was performed in the areas of ACEs and health outcomes with general adult and pediatric populations in addition to studies within the pain literature. Potential relationships between ACEs, chronic pain, and its impact in youth are outlined and discussed.

RESULTS

The literature suggests an association between adverse outcomes of ACEs and chronic pain in children and adolescents although causal links have not been confirmed. However, ACEs are associated with multiple risk factors identified in the biopsychosocial model of pain, and may serve to exacerbate or confer heightened risk for pain and poor outcomes.

DISCUSSION

Adverse experiences in childhood may be associated with greater risk for the development/maintenance of chronic pain in youth. More research is needed on ACEs and how they uniquely affect the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying chronic pain in children throughout the lifespan.

Use of Prazosin for Pediatric PTSD-Associated Nightmares and Sleep Disturbances: A Retrospective Chart Review

INTRODUCTION

Youth exposed to trauma have an increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated sleep disturbances and nightmares. The alpha-1 antagonist prazosin reduces sleep disturbances and nightmares in adults with PTSD; however, its use in youth with PTSD has not been systematically evaluated. We retrospectively examined the tolerability and clinical outcomes associated with prazosin treatment in youth with PTSD-related nightmares and dysomnias.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review identified youth with PTSD (N = 40) treated with prazosin between 2014 and 2016 in a trauma clinic. We assessed the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition scores (and sub-scores for intrusive, hyperarousal, avoidant and negative cognition/mood symptoms) and sleep scale, as well as adverse events and vital signs. Linear mixed effects models were utilized to evaluate the change in symptom severity, and vital signs were monitored throughout treatment.

RESULT

Follow-up data were available for 34 patients with PTSD (mean age 13.4 ± 2.9 years, 82% female), of whom 76% had a history of sexual abuse and 65% had at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder. The mean duration of prazosin treatment was 10.2 ± 8.1 (range 2-30) weeks, and the mean number of follow-up visits was 3 ± 1.23. Of these 34 patients, 79% received trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. The dose range of prazosin was 1-15 mg at every bedtime (0.02-0.3 mg/kg), with 35% receiving ≥5 mg/day. Treatment-emergent side effects were reported by 26% (n = 8) of patients, including dizziness (18%), anxiety (9%) and headaches (6%). Prazosin treatment was associated with improved sleep and nightmares over time (pre-treatment 7.3 ± 0.9, post-treatment 3.1 ± 2.4; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Prazosin was well-tolerated and associated with improvements in nightmares and sleep in youth with PTSD. Adverse events were consistent with the known side-effect profile of prazosin and included dizziness and nausea.

Life Threat and Sleep Disturbances in Adolescents: A Two-Year Follow-Up of Survivors From the 2011 Utøya, Norway, Terror Attack

A significant number of adolescents have been exposed to traumatic life events. However, knowledge about the specific sleep disturbance that occurs in individuals after trauma exposure is predominantly based on studies of adults. This study reports specific sleep disturbance in 42 survivors of the 2011 mass shooting at a youth summer camp on the Norwegian island Utøya, mean age = 20.91 years, SD = 2.32, 62.5% females. When compared with matched controls, significantly more survivors reported having sleep disturbances, 52.4% versus 13.6%, d = 0.93, of which onset began at the time of the shooting, χ² = 14.9, p < .001. The prevalence of insomnia, 56.3% versus 11.0%, d = 0.73; excessive daytime sleepiness, 34.4% versus 13.6%, d = 0.61; symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, 18.8% versus 0%, d = 0.70; and frequent nightmares, 37.5% versus 2.3%, d = 0.90, were all higher in the survivors than in the controls. In a subgroup of survivors (n = 20) with psychiatric diagnoses, sleep disturbances were more prevalent than in survivors without psychiatric diagnosis. Actigraphy data revealed delayed bedtime, sleep onset, and rise time in survivors compared with controls, ts > 1.7, ps = .044 to .028. These results corroborate the effects of a life threat on the range and extent of sleep disturbances, and emphasize the need to better assess and treat sleep disorders in adolescents exposed to trauma.

Why did adolescents have sleep problems after earthquakes? Understanding the role of traumatic exposure, fear, and PTSD

To examine the relationships between trauma exposure, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep problems in adolescents, 746 adolescent survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China were assessed at 1 year (T1) and 1.5 years (T2) after the earthquake using a trauma exposure questionnaire, a fear questionnaire, a child posttraumatic stress disorder symptom scale, and a subscale on child sleep problems. The results showed that T1 trauma exposure were not directly associated with sleep problems at T1 and T2, but played a positive role in sleep problems at both T1 and T2 indirectly through T1 posttraumatic stress disorder and T1 fear. T1 trauma exposure was also positively and indirectly associated with T2 sleep problems through T1 posttraumatic stress disorder via T1 sleep problems, or through T1 fear via the path from T1 posttraumatic stress disorder to T1 sleep problems. These findings indicated that fear and posttraumatic stress disorder 1 year after the earthquake played a mediating role in the relationship between trauma exposure at 1 year after the earthquake, and sleep problems at both 1 year and 1.5 years after the earthquake, respectively. In particular, posttraumatic stress disorder also had a multiple mediating effect in the path from trauma exposure to sleep problems via fear. Furthermore, the findings indicated that sleep problems were relatively stable between 1 and 1.5 years after an earthquake.

Prazosin in Children and Adolescents With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Have Nightmares: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The aim of this systematic review was to identify published articles that evaluated the use of prazosin for treating nightmares in children and adolescents who have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PROCEDURES

A literature search was conducted of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Collaboration, and PsycINFO databases for published articles in any language that evaluated the use of prazosin for treating nightmares in the context of PTSD in children and adolescents using the following key words: PTSD, nightmares, prazosin, children, adolescents, trauma, and sleep.

RESULTS

A total of 9 published articles related to the use of prazosin for treatment of nightmares in PTSD in children and adolescents were identified. Six of the 9 articles that met our inclusion criteria were case reports. All of these 6 case reports showed marked improvement in nightmares when prazosin was used, although at a generally lower dose when compared with its use in adults, with dosing ranging from 1 to 4 mg/d.

CONCLUSIONS

Prazosin has shown promising outcomes in treating nightmares associated with PTSD in children and adolescents, although this has not been well studied. Future placebo-controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of prazosin in treating PTSD-related nightmares in children and adolescents.

Influence of Sleep Disturbance on Global Functioning After Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment

Chronic insomnia and recurrent nightmares are prominent features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence from adult research indicates that these sleep disturbances do not respond as well to cognitive-behavioral therapies for PTSD and are associated with poorer functional outcomes. This study examined the effect of prolonged exposure therapy for adolescents versus client-centered therapy on posttraumatic sleep disturbance, and the extent to which sleep symptoms impacted global functioning among adolescents with sexual abuse-related PTSD. Participants included 61 adolescent girls seeking treatment at a rape crisis center. The Child PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview (Foa, Johnson, Feeny, & Treadwell, 2001) was used to assess PTSD diagnosis and severity of symptoms, including insomnia and nightmares. The Children's Global Assessment Scale (Shaffer et al., 1983) was used to assess global functioning. There were significant main effects of time and treatment on insomnia symptoms. Additionally, there was a main effect of time on nightmares. Results also showed that insomnia and nightmares significantly predicted poorer global functioning posttreatment (R² = .21). Despite significant improvements in posttraumatic sleep disturbance, there were still clinically significant insomnia symptoms after treatment, suggesting that additional interventions may be warranted to address residual sleep disturbance in PTSD.

SLEEP AND TREATMENT OUTCOME IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: RESULTS FROM AN EFFECTIVENESS STUDY

BACKGROUND

Most patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffer from sleep problems. Concerns have been raised about possible detrimental effects of sleep problems on the efficacy of psychological treatments for PTSD. In this study, we investigated the relation of session-to-session changes in PTSD symptoms and sleep, and tested whether sleep problems predicted poorer short- and long-term treatment outcome.

METHODS

Self-reported sleep quality, sleep duration, and PTSD symptoms were assessed weekly in a consecutive sample of 246 patients who received cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD; Ehlers & Clark, 2000), and at follow-up (mean = 247 days posttreatment). Additionally, moderating effects of medication use and comorbid depression were assessed.

RESULTS

Sleep and PTSD symptoms improved in parallel. The relation was moderated by depression: Sleep problems at the start of therapy did not predict improvement in PTSD symptoms during treatment for patients without comorbid depression. Patients with comorbid depression, however, showed less rapid decreases in PTSD symptoms, but comparable overall outcome, if their sleep quality was poor. Residual sleep problems at the end of treatment did not predict PTSD symptoms at follow-up once residual PTSD symptoms were taken into account.

CONCLUSIONS

CT-PTSD leads to simultaneous improvement in sleep and PTSD symptoms. Sleep problems may reduce the speed of recovery in PTSD patients with comorbid depression. For these patients, additional treatment sessions are indicated to achieve comparable outcomes, and additional interventions targeting sleep may be beneficial. For those without comorbid depression, self-reported sleep problems did not interfere with response to trauma-focused psychological treatment.

Sleep disturbances in veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder is related to a wide range of medical problems, with a majority of neurological, psychological, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, as well as sleep disorders. Although the majority of studies reveal the association between PTSD and sleep disturbances, there are few studies on the assessment of sleep disruption among veterans with PTSD. In this review, we attempt to study the sleep disorders including insomnia, nightmare, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders and parasomnias among veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD. It is an important area for further research among veterans with PTSD.

Trauma exposure and sleep disturbance in a sample of youth from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set

OBJECTIVE

Adverse childhood experiences are prevalent and have been associated with sleep disturbance. However, there are limited data examining factors that influence this relationship. The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature by characterizing the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and sleep disturbance in a sample of trauma-exposed youth and to identify factors that may influence this relationship.

STUDY DESIGN

Data were collected from 56 mental health centers across the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. For the current study, secondary data analysis was conducted using de-identified data from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set. The present study included 4043 children and adolescents who met eligibility criteria.

RESULTS

Sixteen percent of the sample (n=634) met criteria for a sleep disturbance as determined through clinician assessment and collateral report. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity influenced the risk of disturbed sleep (ages 7-12: t=-4.33, ages 13-18: t=-7.12, P≤.001 for both analyses), with those meeting full criteria for PTSD at greatest risk (age 7-12: odds ratio [OR]=1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-3.24; age 13-18: OR=3.18; 95% CI, 1.87-5.43). Exposure to sexual assault and community violence also contributed independently to the risk of disturbed sleep (age 7-12, sexual assault: OR=1.76; 95% CI, 1.21-2.57; age 13-18, community violence: OR=1.61; 95% CI, 1.19-2.18).

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive treatment strategies should include assessment of disturbed sleep in youth exposed to trauma, particularly those with elevated PTSD symptoms and exposure to sexual trauma or community violence.

Annual Research Review: Sleep problems in childhood psychiatric disorders--a review of the latest science

BACKGROUND

Hippocrates flagged the value of sleep for good health. Nonetheless, historically, researchers with an interest in developmental psychopathology have largely ignored a possible role for atypical sleep. Recently, however, there has been a surge of interest in this area, perhaps reflecting increased evidence that disturbed or insufficient sleep can result in poor functioning in numerous domains. This review outlines what is known about sleep in the psychiatric diagnoses most relevant to children and for which associations with sleep are beginning to be understood. While based on a comprehensive survey of the literature, the focus of the current review is on the latest science (largely from 2010). There is a description of both concurrent and longitudinal links as well as possible mechanisms underlying associations. Preliminary treatment research is also considered which suggests that treating sleep difficulties may result in improvements in behavioural areas beyond sleep quality.

FINDINGS

To maximise progress in this field, there now needs to be: (a) greater attention to the assessment of sleep in children; (b) sleep research on a wider range of psychiatric disorders; (c) a greater focus on and examination of mechanisms underlying associations; (d) a clearer consideration of developmental questions and (e) large-scale well-designed treatment studies.

CONCLUSIONS

While sleep problems may sometimes be missed by parents and healthcare providers; hence constituting a hidden risk for other psychopathologies - knowing about these difficulties creates unique opportunities. The current excitement in this field from experts in diverse areas including developmental psychology, clinical psychology, genetics and neuropsychology should make these opportunities a reality.

Prefrontal-Amygdala Dysregulation to Threat in Pediatric Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Functional abnormalities in fear circuitry are likely to underlie the pathophysiology of pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the few studies to date have yielded conflicting findings. Furthermore, network level functional connectivity and age-related disruptions in fear circuitry have not been thoroughly explored. In a cross-sectional design, 24 healthy and 24 medication-free youth with severe PTSD completed an event-related emotion-processing task during functional MRI. Youth viewed threat and neutral images, half of which were paired with a neutral male face. Group- and age-related differences in brain activation were examined in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, and hippocampus. Amygdala functional connectivity was examined using a seed-based approach. PTSD youth showed hyperactivation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) to threat images. In the dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC), age positively predicted activation in healthy youth but negatively predicted activation in PTSD youth. In the amygdala functional connectivity analysis, PTSD youth showed decreased amygdala-mPFC connectivity to threat images. Furthermore, age positively predicted amygdala-vmPFC connectivity in healthy youth, but negatively predicted connectivity in PTSD youth. Finally, dmPFC activation and amygdala-mPFC connectivity were inversely related to PTSD severity. Pediatric PTSD involves abnormal functional activation and connectivity in fear circuitry. Specifically, dACC hyperactivation is consistent with abnormal promotion of fear responses, whereas reduced amygdala-mPFC connectivity suggests impaired regulation of amygdala responses to threat. Importantly, age-dependent decreases in dmPFC activation and amygdala-vmPFC connectivity may indicate abnormal developmental processes in key emotion pathways in pediatric PTSD.

Using the Neuroadaptagen KB200z™ to Ameliorate Terrifying, Lucid Nightmares in RDS Patients: the Role of Enhanced, Brain-Reward, Functional Connectivity and Dopaminergic Homeostasis

BACKGROUND

Lucid Dreams are a form of dream life, during which the dreamer may be aware that he/she is dreaming, can stop/re-start the dreams, depending on the pleasantness or unpleasant nature of the dream, and experiences the dream as if he/she were fully awake. Depending on their content, they may be pleasant, un-pleasant or terrifying, at least in the context of patients, who also exhibit characteristics of Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

CASE SERIES

We present eight clinical cases, with known substance abuse, childhood abuse and diagnosed PTSD/RDS. The administration of a putative dopamine agonist, KB200Z™, was associated with the elimination of unpleasant and/or terrifying, lucid dreams in 87.5% of the cases presented, whereas one very heavy cocaine abuser showed a minimal response. These results required the continuous use of this nutraceutical. The lucid dreams themselves were distinguishable from typical, PTSD nightmares insofar as their content did not appear to reflect a symbolic rendition of an originally-experienced, historical trauma. Each of the cases was diagnosed with a form of RDS, i.e., ADHD, ADD, and/or Tourette's syndrome. They all also suffered from some form of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric diagnoses as well.

CONCLUSION

The reduction or elimination of terrifying Lucid Dreams seemed to be dependent on KB220Z, whereby voluntary stopping of the agent results in reinstatement of the terrifying non-pleasant nature of the dreams. Following more required research on a much larger population we anticipate confirmation of these seemingly interesting observations. If these results in a small number of patients are indeed confirmed we may have found a frontline solution to a very perplexing and complicated symptom known as lucid dreams.

Putative dopamine agonist (KB220Z) attenuates lucid nightmares in PTSD patients: role of enhanced brain reward functional connectivity and homeostasis redeeming joy

BACKGROUND

Lucid dreams are frequently pleasant and training techniques have been developed to teach dreamers to induce them. In addition, the induction of lucid dreams has also been used as a way to ameliorate nightmares. On the other hand, lucid dreams may be associated with psychiatric conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Reward Deficiency Syndrome-associated diagnoses. In the latter conditions, lucid dreams can assume an unpleasant and frequently terrifying character.

CASE PRESENTATIONS

We present two cases of dramatic alleviation of terrifying lucid dreams in patients with PTSD. In the first case study, a 51-year-old, obese woman, diagnosed with PTSD and depression, had attempted suicide and experienced terrifying lucid nightmares linked to sexual/physical abuse from early childhood by family members including her alcoholic father. Her vivid "bad dreams" remained refractory in spite of 6 months of treatment with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and standard pharmaceutical agents which included prazosin, clonidie and Adderall. The second 39-year-old PTSD woman patient had also suffered from lucid nightmares.

RESULTS

The medication visit notes reveal changes in the frequency, intensity and nature of these dreams after the complex putative dopamine agonist KB220Z was added to the first patient's regimen. The patient reported her first experience of an extended period of happy dreams. The second PTSD patient, who had suffered from lucid nightmares, was administered KB220Z to attenuate methadone withdrawal symptoms and incidentally reported dreams full of happiness and laughter.

CONCLUSIONS

These cases are discussed with reference to the known effects of KB220Z including enhanced dopamine homeostasis and functional connectivity of brain reward circuitry in rodents and humans. Their understanding awaits intensive investigation involving large-population, double-blinded studies.

Sleep in Children With Psychiatric Disorders

Sleep disturbances are common in pediatric psychiatric disorders and constitute key elements in diagnostic symptomatology of various primary psychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorder. Although sleep is not included in key defining criteria of some impairing illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia, these disorders present with a very high prevalence of sleep disturbances. The interaction between sleep and psychopathology is very complex with significant interrelationship in development, severity, and prognosis of psychiatric disorders and comorbid sleep disturbances. The research ranging from small intervention case series to large epidemiologic studies have demonstrated the role of specific sleep complaints in specific psychiatric diagnoses. However, the research using objective instruments such as polysomnography and actigraphy remains limited in youth with psychiatric disorders. The intervention studies using pharmaceutical treatment specifically focusing on sleep disturbances in psychiatric disorders are also sparse in the pediatric literature. Early identification of sleep disturbances and behavioral management using cognitive behavior therapy-based tools appear to be the most effective approach for treatment. The use of psychotropic medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of primary psychiatric disorder often alleviate the psychological barriers for sleep but may lead to emergence of other sleep issues such as restless leg syndrome. The safety and efficacy data of hypnotics for primary sleep disorders are limited in pediatrics and should be avoided or used with extreme caution in children with comorbid sleep and psychiatric problems.

Longitudinal relationships between posttraumatic stress symptoms and sleep problems in adolescent survivors following the Wenchuan earthquake in China

Purpose

To examine the longitudinal relationships between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and sleep problems among adolescent survivors in the Wenchuan earthquake, China.

Methods

350 adolescent survivors were randomly selected from several primary and secondary schools in the counties of Wenchuan and Maoxian, the two areas most severely affected by the Wenchuan earthquake. Participants completed Revised Child PTSD Symptom Scale and Sleep Problems Subscale of Self-generated Child Behavior Problems Questionnaire at one year (T1), one-and-a-half years (T2), two years (T3) after the earthquake, respectively.

Results

There was a bidirectional relationship between intrusive symptom clusters of PTSD and sleep problems from T1 to T2, and this relationship became non-significant from T2 to T3. There was a one-way predictive relationship of avoidance symptom clusters of PTSD onto sleep problems from T1 to T3. The hyperarousal symptom clusters of PTSD had effects on sleep problems from T1 to T2 but not from T2 to T3, while sleep problems have no significant effect on hyperarousal symptom clusters of PTSD from T1 to T3. In addition, the relationships between three symptom clusters of PTSD and sleep problems weakened with time change.

Conclusions

From 1 year to 1.5 years after the earthquake, all the three symptom clusters of PTSD could be important predictive factors for the development and maintenance of sleep problems, while sleep problems could only be risk factors for the intrusive symptom clusters of PTSD. From 1.5 years to 2 years, only the avoidance symptom clusters of PTSD were risk factors for sleep problems, and sleep problems had no significant effects on any symptom clusters of PTSD. Overall, the relationship between PTSD and sleep problems weakened with time change.