Sleep quality among adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder: which is the role of gender and chronotype?

Nov 6, 2020Sleep medicine

Sleep quality in adults with ADHD or autism: how gender and natural sleep patterns matter

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

In a sample of 136 adults, ASD showed a greater prevalence of Evening chronotype compared to controls.

Both ADHD and ASD adults exhibit unique sleep disturbances.
Significant differences were observed in sleep quality, latency, efficiency, and dysfunction scores between the three groups.
ASD individuals demonstrated reduced sleep efficiency and increased dysfunction compared to those with ADHD.
Women across all groups reported poorer sleep quality, with ASD women showing longer sleep duration.
The study highlights the potential influence of gender on sleep disturbances in adults with ADHD and ASD.

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Both Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present increased prevalence rates of sleep difficulties, which persist into adulthood. However, it is still unclear whether in adults these disorders show specific sleep patterns and which role is played by comorbidities, circadian preferences and gender. This study aimed to describe and compare subjective measures of sleep in adults with ADHD and high-functioning ASD, in relation to the levels of anxiety and depression, chronotype and gender. In a sample of 136 adults (43 ADHD, 43 high-functioning ASD, 50 controls) subjective sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and clinical scales were used to assess chronotype and the levels of anxiety and depression. The three groups showed a significant difference in the distribution of chronotypes, with greater prevalence of an Evening chronotype among ASD compared to controls. The MANCOVA using PSQI subscale scores as dependent variables and MEQ-SA score and depression range as covariates showed that the three groups significantly differ in quality, latency, efficiency, and dysfunction scores with a significant differences between ASD and ADHD in efficiency and dysfunction. Compared to men, women showed higher scores on PSQI total and quality subscale across the three groups and higher duration scores only within ASD group. Our results indicate that both ADHD and ASD adults show unique sleep disturbances and suggest that ASD patients, especially women, may display more pronounced disordered sleep.

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Sleep quality among adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder: which is the role of gender and chronotype?

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