Sleep Deprivation and Other Factors Related to Psychological Abuse Perpetration and Victimization

The results of sleep deprivation in both animal and human studies indicate that physical and cognitive functions are compromised. Psychological abuse consists, in large part, of behaving in an antagonistic, self-serving, and uncooperative way. Psychologically abusive partners place greater blame and direct hostility onto their partners and display less willingness to work out problems. The first objective of this study was to determine if sleep problems are correlated with increased perpetration of psychological abuse among bikers. The second objective was to investigate if sleep problems are correlated with the likelihood of being victimized by psychological abuse. And a third objective was to determine if bikers have overcome the highly sexist and psychologically abusive stenotype they once had. Thirty-one cohabitating couples completed the survey design study. Result indicated a persistent relationship between three of the major measures of sleep disturbance and the perceived perpetration and perceived victimization of psychological abuse. Everyday sleep deficits were significant enough to be related to the perceived perpetration and felt victimization of psychological abuse. Women were more sleep impaired and influenced by sleep duration. They were also less likely to see themselves as perpetrators. Future studies should consider the role that relationship satisfaction plays in the sleep deprivation, psychological abuse equation as it appears to be of particular importance to female partners. Sleep may moderate the relationship between psychological abuse and relationship satisfaction for both genders, although the effect may be greater for women.