Biased processing of sleep-related stimuli in children of parents with insomnia

Disorder specific cognitive biases have been observed in children whose parents suffer from psychological disorders. Despite those same biases being observed in individuals with insomnia, they have yet to be explored as an index of vulnerability in children of parents with insomnia. It was hypothesised that potentially vulnerable children would demonstrate cognitive biases to sleep-related cues, relative to controls. Following a ‘tired-state induction’, a sleep-related Emotional Stroop was completed by two groups: 38 children of parents with insomnia and 51 controls. Children also reported their observations about the content of the Stroop words. Results showed an attention bias in children whose parents have insomnia but no interpretive bias. The results are discussed in terms of a predispositional vulnerability to insomnia.