Longitudinal association between perceived discrimination and sleep problems among young adults in the United States: Tests of moderation by race/ethnicity and educational attainment

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Insomnia Among Adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background Insomnia is a common sleep disorder with significant effects on physical and mental health. This study aimed to document the prevalence of insomnia and its associated risk factors among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh using the Sleep Condition Indicator Questionnaire (SCIQ). Data were collected from 548 participants. The inclusion criteria encompassed adults aged 18 and above living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and sleep patterns was gathered through a translated eight-item SCIQ (score ≤16=insomnia). Statistical analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results The findings revealed a significant prevalence of insomnia, affecting 219 individuals (40%). Insomnia was significantly associated with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria, including difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, frequency of sleep disturbances, significant distress, and duration of sleep disturbances (p<0.001 for each). The highest prevalence of insomnia was observed in the 40-60-year age group (n=91, 45.7%, p=0.014), among smokers (n=27, 60%, p=0.0063), and among obese individuals (n=20, 54.1%, p=0.035). Additionally, insomnia was strongly associated with anxiety (n=49, 66.2%, p<0.001), depression (n=27, 54%, p=0.033), and hypertension (n=24, 58.5%, p=0.011). Conclusion This study highlighted the high prevalence of insomnia among adults in Riyadh, particularly among older adults, smokers, and those with chronic health conditions. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address insomnia and its associated risk factors. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to establish causal relationships and explore the impacts of lifestyle and genetic factors on insomnia.

Do Sleep Problems Exacerbate the Mental Health Consequences of Discrimination Among Adults?

OBJECTIVE

An emerging literature suggests that sleep may play an important role in moderating the association between discrimination and mental health problems among adolescents. However, few if any studies have considered this topic among adults. Addressing this knowledge gap, the current study examined multiple sleep parameters as moderating variables in the association between discrimination and mental health problems among adults.

METHODS

Participants were 874 adults residing in small towns and semirural contexts within the Southeastern region of the United States ( Mage = 41 years, SD = 7; 57% female; 31% Black, 69% White; 52% income-to-needs < 2). Sleep duration and night-to-night variability in duration were assessed using wrist actigraphy. Established self-report measures were used to assess global sleep problems, experiences of discrimination, and mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and externalizing symptoms).

RESULTS

Experiences of discrimination were associated with more depression, anxiety, and externalizing problems. Two out of three sleep parameters were found to moderate the effects of discrimination on mental health. The association between discrimination and externalizing problems (but not anxiety or depression) was attenuated among those with less night-to-night variability in sleep duration. The associations between discrimination and anxiety and externalizing problems (but not depression) were attenuated among those with fewer global sleep problems. Less variability in sleep duration and fewer global sleep problems were also directly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and externalizing problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater consistency in sleep duration from night-to-night, and fewer overall sleep problems appear to mitigate risk of mental health problems among adults, particularly in contexts where discrimination is prevalent.

Chronic bullying victimization and life satisfaction among children from multicultural families in South Korea: Heterogeneity by immigrant mothers' country of origin

BACKGROUND

Despite existing literature on the link between bullying victimization and psychological well-being, little is known about the potential lasting negative effects of chronic bullying victimization, especially among children from multicultural families (CMF).

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the longitudinal association between chronic bullying victimization and life satisfaction among CMF in Korea, and further investigated whether this association differs by immigrant mothers' country of origin.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

This study utilized data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS) 2011-2019, a nationally representative longitudinal study of CMF in Korea who were between the ages of 9 and 12 at baseline (N = 1375).

METHODS

Fixed effects models were employed to address potential bias resulting from unobserved time-invariant confounders. Three theoretical models were proposed to examine the trajectory patterns of change in life satisfaction among chronically bullied children: cumulative effects, immediate-sustained effects, and short-lived effects models.

RESULTS

The longitudinal trajectories of change in life satisfaction associated with chronic bullying victimization were consistent with an immediate-sustained effects model. Heterogeneous patterns in the association by mothers' country of origin were observed. A cumulative effects model was supported for children with Southeast Asian mothers, indicating that chronic bullying victimization leads to a cumulative decrease in life satisfaction. For children with Chinese and Japanese mothers, the results supported either immediate-sustained or short-lived effects models.

CONCLUSIONS

Efforts to improve the psychological well-being of CMF should consider the potential long-term risk of chronic bullying victimization, particularly among youth with mothers from Southeast Asia.

Embodiment of discrimination: a cross-sectional study of threats, humiliating treatment and ethnic discrimination in relation to somatic health complaints among Sámi in Sweden

BACKGROUND

Ethnic discrimination is acknowledged as a social determinant of health for Indigenous populations worldwide. This study aimed to investigate embodiment of perceived ethnic discrimination among the Sámi population in Sweden.

METHODS

A population-based health study was conducted among the Sámi population aged 18-84 years in 2021. Perceived discrimination was assessed by three variables: exposure to threat, humiliation treatment and ethnic discrimination. To capture current physical health, complaints of headache, back pain, stomach pain, sleeping problems, dizziness and tiredness were used. An overall somatic complaints score was created by summing up the six individual symptoms. The magnitude of the association between the independent variables and the outcomes was summarised with the β coefficients and prevalence ratios using 95% credible intervals (95% CrI) for inferential purposes.

RESULTS

Overall, 4.3% reported to have been exposed to threat, 26.1% to humiliation and 11.2% and 32.3% to ethnic discrimination in the last 12 months and beyond 12 months, respectively. After mutual adjustment, threat (β=1.25; 95% CrI=0.88 to 1.60), humiliation (β=1.29; 95% CrI: 1.14 to 1.44) and the two categories of discrimination (β=0.92; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.21 in the last 12 months and β=0.68; 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.83 beyond) remained significantly associated to the overall somatic complaints score. Similar results were found for individual complaints.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has shown a strong relationship between different expressions of perceived ethnic discrimination and a series of somatic complaints among the Sámi in Sweden. Efforts to alleviate interpersonal and institutional discrimination against the Sámi would contribute to improve their health.

Everyday discrimination, emotion, and daily interactions during adolescence

The present study examined whether everyday discrimination relates to the frequency of adolescents' positive and negative daily social interactions and whether these associations are driven by anger and positive emotion. Adolescents (N = 334) participated in a three-wave longitudinal study, in which they completed surveys regarding everyday discrimination, anger, and positive emotion, as well as 15 daily reports of conflict and getting along with friends and family. Higher everyday discrimination was related to more daily conflicts and fewer experiences of getting along with other people. Longitudinal models also provided preliminary evidence that everyday discrimination was associated with daily conflicts 4 years later indirectly through anger. Overall, results suggest everyday discrimination relates to adolescents' daily experiences, potentially through differences in emotion.