RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Can social factors explain sex differences in insomnia? Findings from a national survey in Taiwan
JF Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
JO J Epidemiol Community Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 488
OP 494
DO 10.1136/jech.2004.020511
VO 59
IS 6
A1 Chen, Ying-Yeh
A1 Kawachi, Ichiro
A1 Subramanian, S V
A1 Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores
A1 Lee, Yue-Joe
YR 2005
UL http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/6/488.abstract
AB Study objective: To examine sociological explanations for the higher level of insomnia in women, including social roles and socioeconomic status (SES). Design: Cross sectional survey research Setting: Taiwanese 2001 “social trend survey” Participants: A nationally representative sample of 39 588 citizens aged 15 years or older living in Taiwan. Main results: On average, women scored 1.25 points higher than men on the insomnia inventory (p<0.001) but after controlling for social roles, the sex discrepancy in insomnia decreased slightly. SES did not, however, explain women’s higher levels of insomnia. Subscale analysis showed an association between the role of homemaker and increased night time sleep disturbance and decreased daytime sequelae of poor sleep while higher educational attainment was related only to more severe daytime sequelae. Conclusion: The sex discrepancy in insomnia narrowed slightly after taking social role factors into consideration but was not explained by SES. The persistent sex gap in insomnia warrants further investigation.