Sleep disturbance, suicidal ideation and psychosis-risk symptoms in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

Psychiatry Res. 2024 Nov:341:116147. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116147. Epub 2024 Aug 20.

Abstract

Insomnia and suicidal ideation (SI) are common in schizophrenia, including in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P). Previous studies have found associations between sleep disturbance, SI, and psychopathology in schizophrenia. We explored these associations in a CHR-P cohort. We leveraged data from CHR-P individuals in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Studies (NAPLS-3) (n = 688) cohort. We investigated relationships between sleep disturbance (Scale of Prodromal Symptoms [SOPS]; Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia [CDSS], and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]), suicidal ideation (CDSS), and psychosis-risk symptoms. The prevalence of terminal insomnia, sleep disturbance, and SI in NAPLS3 was 25 %, 69 %, and 29 %, respectively. After controlling for potential confounders, multiple indices of sleep disturbance (SOPS, PSQI: OR = 1.05-1.40) were significant indicators of concurrent SI. Terminal insomnia was not associated with conversion to psychosis. Multiple indices of sleep problems were associated with higher total and subscale psychosis-risk symptom scores (β = 0.09-0.39). Sleep problems are prevalent and associated with SI and more severe psychosis-risk symptoms in CHR-P individuals. These findings underscore the importance of designing longitudinal intervention studies to investigate whether the treatment of sleep disturbances may reduce suicidality and symptoms in this population.

Keywords: Insomnia; Prodrome; Suicide; Symptoms.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Prodromal Symptoms*
  • Psychotic Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Psychotic Disorders* / psychology
  • Schizophrenia / complications
  • Schizophrenia / epidemiology
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / epidemiology
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / psychology
  • Sleep Wake Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Suicidal Ideation*
  • Young Adult