Association between personality traits and DSM-IV diagnosis of insomnia in peri- and postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the role of personality factors in the development of DSM-IV insomnia coincident with perimenopause.


METHODS
Perimenopausal women (35 women with DSM-IV insomnia and 28 women with self-reported normal sleep) underwent clinical assessments and completed menopause-related questionnaires, the NEO Five Factor Inventory and the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality. Logistic regressions determined whether personality factors and hot flash-related interference were associated with an insomnia diagnosis concurrent with the menopausal transition.


RESULTS
Women with insomnia reported higher neuroticism, lower agreeableness, and lower conscientiousness than controls on the NEO Five Factor Inventory. Moreover, women with insomnia were more likely to meet DSM-IV criteria for cluster C personality disorders, particularly obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, on the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality. Women with insomnia were more likely to have had a past depressive episode and a history of severe premenstrual symptoms. Findings from regressions revealed that higher neuroticism and greater interference from hot flashes were associated with insomnia classification even after controlling for history of depression, suggesting that sensitivity to hot flashes and a greater degree of neuroticism are independent contributors toward establishing which women are most likely to have sleep problems during perimenopause.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings show the relevance of personality factors, particularly neuroticism and obsessive-compulsive personality, to a woman's experience of insomnia as she goes through the menopausal transition.
From the 1Center for Health Sciences, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA; 2Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; and 3Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Stephanie A
SA
Sassoon
Massimiliano
M
de Zambotti
Ian M
IM
Colrain
Fiona C
FC
Baker
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003193:Compulsive Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D000075384:Neuroticism; D047648:Perimenopause; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D017698:Postmenopause; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires