Sleep-Related Violence, Dissociative Experiences, and Childhood Traumatic Events

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to test whether a relationship between dissociative experiences and violent behavior during sleep (VBS). The group was composed of 253 male and 129 female undergraduate students. The subjects were interviewed for parasomnias and sleep-related violence by using International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD)-revised criteria. Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was also administered to the subjects. The subjects with sleep-related violence had higher mean DES score than those never reported VBS. The subjects with sleep-related violence had higher rates of history of physical abuse than the others. Suicidal attempts and self-mutilating behaviors were also more common among these subjects than the others. There is an association between sleep-related violence, childhood abuse, and dissociative experiences. Dissociative experiences may relate not only to daytime symptoms but also symptoms during sleep.