Objective: To examine the relation between sleep disturbance and neurocognitive ability among persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Design: Correlational research evaluating demographic and neuropsychological predictors of sleep disturbance using multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance.
Participants: Eighty-seven patients with mild to severe TBI admitted to a comprehensive outpatient neurorehabilitation program.
Main outcome measures: Sleep disturbance assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
Results: Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that performance on selected measures of cognitive functioning significantly improved prediction of sleep disturbance, accounting for 14% of variance beyond that accounted for by injury severity and gender. The total model accounted for 31% of the variance in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. Patients with mild TBI reported more sleep disturbance (P < .01) than did patients with severe TBI.
Conclusions: Sleep disturbance among patients with TBI may be associated with a particular constellation of neuropsychological abilities. These issues are discussed in relation to prior findings that indicate the involvement of additional neuropsychiatric factors associated with sleep disturbance in mild TBI.