title: Estimated Prevalence of Insomnia among Women Veterans: Results of a Postal Survey.
abstract: Insomnia is a significant public health concern known to particularly impact women and the veteran population; however, rates of insomnia disorder among women veterans are not known.
  
  
  
  Women veterans who had received health care at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System between 2008 and 2010 and resided within 25 miles of the facility were sent a postal survey assessing sleep, demographics, and other related patient characteristics.
  
  
  
  A total of 660 women (43.1% of potential responders) returned the postal survey and provided sufficient information for insomnia diagnosis. On average, women reported 6.2 hours of sleep per night. The prevalence of insomnia, determined according to diagnostic criteria from the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2, was 52.3%. Women with insomnia reported more severely disturbed sleep, and more pain, menopausal symptoms, stress/worries, and nightmares compared with women without insomnia. There was a quadratic relationship between age and insomnia with women in their mid-40s, most likely to have insomnia.
  
  
  
  This survey study found that insomnia symptoms were endorsed by more than one-half of the women veterans in this sample of VA users, highlighting the critical need for enhanced clinical identification and intervention. Further research is needed to establish national rates of insomnia among women veterans and to improve access to evidence-based treatment of insomnia disorder.
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: Jennifer.Martin@va.gov.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: C Amanda
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.affiliation: Durham VA Healthcare System, Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jaime M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Constance H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dzierzewski
authors.affiliation: David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California; VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Washington
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: B Josea
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jouldjian
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Karen R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Josephson
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Cathy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Alessi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*