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. 2022 Mar-Apr;20(2):164-172.
doi: 10.1080/15402002.2021.1895794. Epub 2021 Apr 4.

Insomnia Severity and Degree of Dysfunction: What Is to Be Learned When These Domains are Discordant?

Julia T Boyle  1 , Ivan Vargas  2 , Bradly Rosenfield  1 , Michael A Grandner  3 , Michael L Perlis  4
Affiliations

Insomnia Severity and Degree of Dysfunction: What Is to Be Learned When These Domains are Discordant?

Julia T Boyle et al. Behav Sleep Med. 2022 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Objective/background: Illness severity and resultant dysfunction are often linearly related and tightly coupled (concordant). Some percentage of individuals, however, exhibit discordant associations (high illness severity and low dysfunction [HL] or low illness severity and high dysfunction [LH]). In the present study, a sample of subjects with insomnia complaints were evaluated to determine what percentage of subjects exhibited discordant associations.

Participants: Archival data were drawn from a community-based sample (n = 4,680; 61.8% female; Ages 18-105).

Methods: Median splits were calculated for illness severity and daytime dysfunction and each individual was typed as High (H) or Low (L) for the concordant (HH and LL) and discordant domains (HL and LH).

Results: Given this typology, 61% were classified as concordant and 39% were classified as discordant. Of these, 38% were sub-typed as HH, 23% as LL, 26% as LH, and 13% as HL.

Conclusions: We propose that some of the discordance may be ascribable to a mismatch between sleep need and sleep ability. Those "who need a lot, may suffer a lot, in the face of only a little (LH)", whereas those "who need a little, may suffer only a little, in the face of a lot (HL)".

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome. We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We confirm that we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property. We understand that the Corresponding Author is the sole contact for the Editorial process (including editorial Manager and direct communications with the office). She is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs. We confirm that we have provided a current, correct email address which is accessible by the Corresponding Author and which has been configured to accept email from.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Matrix of sleep groups (Chi-Square p < .001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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