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Witnessing intimate partner violence in childhood and sleep disturbances across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Date
2026-08-01
Abstract
Sleep is a fundamental process that could be dysregulated following exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) during childhood. This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize both the quantitative and qualitative evidence on the association between childhood exposure to IPV and sleep disturbances across the lifespan. A meta-analysis of 18 studies found that childhood exposure to IPV was associated with
significantly greater odds of sleep disturbances (OR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.16, 1.92], I2 = 92.2%). There was significant heterogeneity, estimates withstood removal of outliers, and there was no evidence of small-study effects. There was no significant moderation by age, gender, geographical location, caregiver vs. self-reported measures, and type of IPV. Narrative synthesis of the remaining studies suggested that (a) persistent or recent exposure appears to elevate risk, and (b) caregiver distress, trauma-induced hypervigilance, and disrupted co-regulation may be critical factors to consider. In summary, although further rigorous research is warranted, our findings indicate that childhood IPV exposure has a critical role in sleep disturbances across the lifespan.
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Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Social Science & Medicine 403, 119373
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Hamid_2026_Witnessing.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.05 MB
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Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International