Pathways linking racial/ethnic discrimination and sleep among U.S.-born and foreign-born Latinxs (original) (raw)

Employment status and the association of sociocultural stress with sleep in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Sleep, 2019

Study Objectives: We examined the association of sociocultural stress severity (i.e. acculturation stress, ethnic discrimination) and chronic stress burden with multiple dimensions of sleep in a population-based sample of US Hispanics/Latinos. We also explored whether employment status modified stress-sleep associations. Methods: We conducted survey linear regressions to test the cross-sectional association of sociocultural stress severity and stress burden with sleep dimensions using data collected between 2010 and 2013 from individuals who participated in both the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sueño and Sociocultural Ancillary studies (N = 1192). Results: Greater acculturation stress (B = 0.75, standard error [SE] = 0.26, p < .01) and chronic psychosocial stress burden (B = 1.04, SE = 0.18, p < .001) were associated with greater insomnia symptoms but were not associated with actigraphic measures of sleep. Ethnic discrimination was not associated with any of the sleep dimensions. The association of acculturation stress with insomnia severity was greater in unemployed (B = 2.06, SE = 0.34) compared to employed (B = 1.01, SE = 0.31) participants (p-interaction = .08). Conclusions: Acculturation stress severity and chronic stress burden are important and consistent correlates of insomnia, but not actigraphically measured sleep dimensions. If replicated, future research should test whether interventions targeting the resolution of sociocultural stress improve sleep quality in Hispanics/Latinos.

Sleep Quality among Hispanics of Mexican Descent and Non-Hispanic Whites: Results from the Sleep Health and Knowledge in US Hispanics Study

Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases, 2013

Objectives: To investigate differences in sleep quality between Hispanics of Mexican descent (HMD) and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and evaluate the effect of acculturation to the US lifestyle in sleep health. We hypothesize that the detrimental effect of acculturation on health outcomes will impact sleep quality among HMD. Design: We performed a population-based random digit dialing telephone survey to determine sleep quality in HMD and NHW. We collected from 3667 subjects, demographics, previous diagnosis of depression or anxiety, past treatment for sleep disorders, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics. Results: The prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) was 64.4% for HMD and 64.3% for NHW (p = 0.93). A prior diagnosis of depression or anxiety was an independent predictor of poor sleep quality in both groups (OR 3.4 and 2.7 for HMD and NHW. Ethnicity was not a predictor of poor sleep quality in HMD or NHW. Acculturation was not a predictor of poor sleep quality in HMD. However, highly acculturated young HMD males had significantly more prevalence of poor sleep quality compared to NHW (64.8% vs. 49.8%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The absence of sleep quality differences in a large sample of HMD and NHW living in San Diego County is contrary to current data of having poorer sleep quality among Latinos. We found that neither ethnicity nor acculturation were predictors of poor sleep quality in HMD. However, we demonstrated a highly prevalent poor sleep quality among the two ethnic groups. The finding of significantly lower sleep quality in young highly acculturated HMD men may represent the heterogeneity of ethnicity related to sleep. Programs to improve sleep quality in subjects with depression and/or anxiety, and in young highly-acculturated HMD seems warranted.

Linking ethnic/racial discrimination to adolescent mental health: Sleep disturbances as an explanatory pathway

Child Development, 2022

Ethnic/racial discrimination is associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, and this study considered sleep disturbance as a mediating pathway. Employing a combination of daily diary and biannual surveys, multilevel structural equation models estimated the indirect effects of sleep/wake concerns on negative, anxious, and positive mood, rumination, and somatic symptoms. In a sample of 350 urban Asian (74% Chinese, 8% Korean, 4% Indian, 1% Filipinx, 1% Vietnamese, and 12% other), Black, and Latinx (25% Dominican, 24% South American, 22% Mexican, 15% Puerto Rican, 5% Central American, and 9% other) youth (M = 14.27 years, 69% female, 77% U.S. born, 76% monoethnic/racial, data collected from 2015 to 2018), there was evidence for sleep disturbances mediating the impact of ethnic/ racial discrimination on adjustment. Nighttime disturbance, daytime dysfunction, and daytime sleepiness evidenced partial or full mediation for daily-and personlevel outcomes (υ = 0.1%-17.9%). Reciprocal associations between sleep disturbances and negative mood and rumination were also observed.

Anticipated and Experienced Ethnic/Racial Discrimination and Sleep: A Longitudinal Study

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2020

The transition to college is a stressful experience. For members of underrepresented minority groups, the usual stresses are frequently accompanied by ethnicity-based stressors, including discrimination. This longitudinal study extends prior work on discrimination by examining the prospective associations between anticipated and experienced ethnic/racial discrimination and sleep, a ubiquitous and basic biological need critical for optimal functioning. In a sample of 274 low-income/first-generation Latinx students, results from a cross-lagged panel model revealed that both the anticipation and experience of discrimination at the beginning of college uniquely predicted worsening sleep quality over the second half of freshmen year, controlling for relevant covariates. There was also some evidence for bidirectionality, with poor sleepers experiencing more discrimination. These findings add to the literature linking discrimination and sleep, both of which play large roles in mental, phys...

Factors associated with sleep disturbance in women of Mexican descent

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2012

Aims. The aims were to identify the most useful parameters of acculturation in relation to self-reported sleep disturbance and describe risk factors for sleep disturbance in women of Mexican descent. Background. Little is known about acculturation as a factor for poor sleep in the context of other personal factors such as income or sense of resilience or mastery for Latinas in the United States. Design. This study was a secondary analysis of cross sectional survey data. Methods. Personal factors were incorporated into a modification of the Conceptual Framework of Impaired Sleep to guide our secondary analysis of self-reported sleep disturbance. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 312 women of Mexican descent of childbearing age (21-40 years) located in an urban California community were collected and previously analysed in relation to depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder. The General Sleep Disturbance Scale (in English and Spanish) was used to assess sleep disturbance. Data was collected in 1998 from September through December. Results. Early socialization to the United States during childhood was the most useful acculturation parameter for understanding self-reported sleep disturbance in this sample. In a multivariate regression analysis, three factors (higher acculturation, lower income and higher depressive symptoms) were statistically significant in accounting for 40% of the variance in sleep disturbance. Conclusion. When low income Latinas of Mexican descent report sleep problems, clinicians should probe for environmental sleep factors associated with low income, such as noise, overcrowding and exposure to trauma and violence, and refer the woman to psychotherapy and counselling rather than merely prescribing a sleep medication.

Perceived racial discrimination as an independent predictor of sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue

Behavioral sleep medicine, 2012

Perceived discrimination is a potential cause of racial and ethnic disparities in health. Disturbed sleep may serve as a mechanism linking perceived racism with health consequences. This study investigates data from 7,148 adults from Michigan and Wisconsin who participated in the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses explored associations between perceived racial discrimination and self-reported sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue. Sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue were reported in 19% and 21% of the sample, respectively. Black/African American respondents (21%) report perceiving worse experiences, compared to people of other races, when seeking health care at higher rates than non-Hispanic White respondents (3%). Results from logistic regression models show that perceived racial discrimination is associated with increased risks of sleep disturbance (odds ratio [OR] = 2.62, p < .0001) and daytime fatigue (OR = 2.07, p < .0001). After adjustment for all covariates, perceived discrimination remains a significant predictor of sleep disturbance (OR = 1.60, p = .04). The interaction between perceived racism and race (Black/African American vs. non-Hispanic White) was nonsignificant. This population-based research adds to the growing body of data, suggesting that perceived racism may impact health via its influence on sleep-wake behaviors.

Social and Health Correlates of Sleep Duration in a US Hispanic Population: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Sleep, 2015

To define the prevalence of poor sleep patterns in the US Hispanic/Latino population, identify sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of short and long sleep duration, and the association between sleep and cardiometabolic outcomes. Cross-sectional analysis. Community-based study. Adults age 18-74 y free of sleep disorders (n = 11,860) from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos baseline examination (2008-2011). N/A. The mean self-reported sleep duration was 8.0 h per night with 18.6% sleeping less than 7 h and 20.1% sleeping more than 9 h in age- and sex-adjusted analyses. Short sleep was most common in individuals of Puerto Rican heritage (25.6%) and the Other Hispanic group (27.4%). Full-time employment, low level of education, and depressive symptoms were independent predictors of short sleep, whereas unemployment, low household income, low level of education, and being born in the mainland US were independent predictors of long sleep. After accounting for soc...

Effect of ethnicity on sleep: complexities for epidemiologic research

Sleep, 2003

The goal of this study was to examine whether there were ethnic differences in polysomnographically recorded sleep, either in the controlled laboratory environment or in the home setting. Prospective study of ethnic differences in stress physiology and sleep. Two sleep recordings were performed on consecutive nights in a hospital-based sleep laboratory, followed 1 to 4 weeks later by a third sleep recording in the subject's home. 51 employed healthy adult subjects, aged 15 to 50 years. 24 self-identified as black, and 27 as white. None. Blacks had less slow wave sleep than did whites in both the sleep laboratory and in the home. Blacks had significantly more slow wave sleep at home compared to the hospital setting, while the reverse was true for whites. This location-by-ethnicity interaction could not be accounted for by depression ratings or social class. The home setting is generally considered to be more ecologically valid than the controlled hospital-based laboratory setting...

Examining Risk and Protective Factors in the Association Between Discrimination Stress and Body Mass Index in a Sample of LatinX Adults

Journal of Student Research

In 2016, the State of Obesity Organization reported that Latinx populations (38.7%) have a higher obesity rate than non-Latinx white populations (25.6%). Discrimination stress is one factor that has been found to be associated with obesity. Studies show that greater discrimination stress is associated with increased obesity in Latinx populations; however, research has not focused on the protective and risk factors that may influence this association, such as depressive symptoms and social support. While depressive symptoms may help in explaining the association between discrimination stress and obesity, protective factors, like social support may buffer this association. The purpose of the present study was to examine depressive symptoms as a mediator and social support as a moderator of the association between discrimination stress and obesity among a sample of Latinx adults. A national sample of Latinx adults (N = 632) was recruited using Qualtrics Panel to participate in an onlin...

Racial Disparities in Sleep: Associations With Discrimination Among Ethnic/Racial Minority Adolescents

Child Development, 2019

This study investigates the same-day associations between discrimination and sleep among 350 adolescents ages 13-15 (M = 14.29, SD = 0.65; Asian = 41%, Black = 22%, Latinx = 37%). Assessing sleep duration, sleep onset latency, and wake minutes after sleep onset using wrist actigraphy, Black adolescents slept 35 min less than Asian and 36 min less than Latinx youth. Black adolescents suffered the most wake minutes after sleep onset, followed by Latinx and Asian youth. Latinx youth reported the highest levels of sleep disturbance, whereas Asian youth reported the highest levels of daytime dysfunction. Daily discrimination was associated with lower levels of same-night sleep onset latency, more sleep disturbance, more next-day daytime dysfunction, and higher next-day daytime sleepiness.