Links between psychological distress, late chronotype, and impaired sleep quality in survivors of sexual assault.

INTRODUCTION

Sexual assault is a pervasive issue with profound psychological and physical impacts, including significant sleep disturbances. Although psychological distress is a well-established mediator in the relationship between sexual assault and poor sleep quality, the role of the circadian system remains underexplored. The circadian system manifests a continuum of sleep-wake cycles, with late chronotype being a particularly disruptive pattern linked to impaired psychological functioning. Severe psychological stress can disrupt our circadian system leading to emergence of late chronotype preference.

METHODS

This study investigates whether psychological distress and late chronotype mediate the relationship experiences of sexual assault and sleep quality using a cross-sectional design. Canadian participants (n = 90 with sexual assault history; n = 97 controls; 19-50 years) were recruited via crowdsourcing.

RESULTS

Structural equation modelling confirmed that sexual assault was significantly related to greater levels of psychological distress, psychological distress significantly predicted late chronotype, but only psychological distress (and not late chronotype) mediated the relationship between sexual assault and poor sleep quality.

DISCUSSION: Although the contribution of late chronotype to sleep quality was not clarified, this study made clear that this maladaptive chronotype is prevalent among survivors and associated with distress. Implications are discussed in terms of the long-term impacts of sexual assault, including sleep-focused interventions to improve outcomes for survivors, and the value of studying sleep quality among those suffering from traumatic events.