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Insomnia in pregnancy: Possible associations with birth spacing, family functioning, and spousal age difference in a Nigerian population.

M. B. Fawale,Isiaka A. Ismaila,Abubakar A. Kulima,A. Mustapha

Published 2025 in Sleep Health

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to characterize insomnia and determine its associations in a sub-Saharan African population of pregnant women. METHODS Insomnia was assessed using the Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Scale in an antenatal clinic sample of 310 pregnant women. They were screened for anxiety and depressive symptoms using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire and health-related quality of life was evaluated using SF-12. The participant's perception of family functioning was assessed using the Family APGAR scale. Sociodemographic, obstetric, and clinical data were collected along with blood and urine samples for hematocrit and urinary protein, respectively. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Yobe State Health Research Ethical Committee. Data analysis was performed with the SPSS software (SPSS, version 16.0), with a p value of <.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS The Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Scale identified 42.9% of our sample of pregnant women experienced insomnia. The prevalence of insomnia increased significantly from 33.7% in the second trimester to 47.1% in the third trimester. Factors independently associated with higher odds of insomnia in pregnancy were advancing gestation, poorer family functioning, having a child under 2 years, and smaller spousal age differences. CONCLUSIONS This study found that insomnia in pregnancy is common and is linked to advancing gestational age, short child spacing, family dysfunction, and smaller spousal age difference. The findings highlight the importance of promoting adequate child spacing and addressing family dynamics to support better sleep health in pregnant women.

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