Can social factors explain sex differences in insomnia? Findings from a national survey in Taiwan.
OBJECTIVE
To examine sociological explanations for the higher level of insomnia in women, including social roles and socioeconomic status (SES).


METHODS
Cross sectional survey research


METHODS
Taiwanese 2001 "social trend survey"


METHODS
A nationally representative sample of 39,588 citizens aged 15 years or older living in Taiwan.


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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Chen
Ying-Yeh
YY
Taipei City Psychiatric Centre, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan. ychen@hsph.harvard.edu
Kawachi
Ichiro
I
Subramanian
S V
SV
Acevedo-Garcia
Dolores
D
Lee
Yue-Joe
YJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology