title: Cognitive-emotional hyperarousal in the offspring of parents vulnerable to insomnia: a nuclear family study.
abstract: Cognitive-emotional hyperarousal is believed to be a predisposing factor for insomnia; however, there is limited information on the association of familial vulnerability to insomnia and cognitive-emotional hyperarousal. The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of stress-related insomnia and examine whether parental vulnerability to stress-related insomnia is associated with cognitive-emotional hyperarousal in their offspring. We studied a volunteer sample of 135 nuclear families comprised of 270 middle-aged (51.5 ± 5.4 years) fathers and mothers and one of their biological offspring (n = 135, 20.2 ± 1.1 years). We measured vulnerability to stress-related insomnia (i.e. Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test: FIRST), perceived stress, depression and anxiety in all participants, and arousability, presleep cognitive and somatic arousal, coping and personality in the offspring. We found a heritability estimate of 29% for FIRST scores. High FIRST parents had three to seven times the odds of having offspring highly vulnerable to stress-related insomnia. Offspring of high FIRST parents showed higher arousability, presleep cognitive arousal and emotion-oriented coping. Furthermore, high FIRST mothers contributed to offspring's higher anxiety and lower task-oriented coping, while high FIRST fathers contributed to offspring's higher presleep somatic arousal and conscientiousness. Vulnerability to stress-related insomnia is significantly heritable. Parents vulnerable to stress-related insomnia have offspring with cognitive-emotional hyperarousal who rely upon emotion-oriented coping. These data give support to the notion that arousability and maladaptive coping are key factors in the aetiology of insomnia.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Mendoza
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olavarrieta-Bernardino
authors.forename: Alexandros N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Vgontzas
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Calhoun
authors.forename: Edward O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Bixler
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vela-Bueno
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D001143:Arousal / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: familial aggregation; heritability; insomnia; predisposition; stress; vulnerability