Daily Experiences of Discrimination and Ethnic/Racial Minority Adolescents' Sleep: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Chronic stress exposure, social support, and sleep quality among African Americans: findings from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether social support from extended family and church members moderate the association between chronic stress exposure and sleep quality in a nationally representative sample of African American adults.

DESIGN

Data from African American respondents aged 18 and older were drawn from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview. The analytic sample for this study included 1,372 African American adults who attended religious services at least a few times a year, as the church-based relationship measures were only assessed for these individuals. Self-reported sleep quality was assessed by sleep satisfaction, trouble falling asleep, and restless sleep. Chronic stress exposure was measured by a nine-item index. OLS and logistic regression were used to estimate the relationship between chronic stress exposure, extended family and church relationships, and sleep quality.

RESULTS

The data indicated that chronic stress exposure was associated with decreased sleep satisfaction, increased likelihood of trouble falling asleep and restless sleep. Receiving emotional support from family and more frequent contact with church members were associated with decreased restless sleep. Emotional family support moderated the associations between chronic stress exposure and trouble falling asleep and restless sleep. The positive associations between chronic stress exposure and these two sleep quality measures were attenuated among respondents who received high levels of emotional support from their family.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, these findings underscore the detriment of chronic stress exposure to African Americans' sleep quality and suggest that extended family members are effective stress coping resources and play an important role in this population's sleep quality.

Prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbance among adolescents in the eastern seaboard of China

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are serious public health issues that warrant increased attention, especially in adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with sleep disorders among urban adolescents in China.

METHODS

This study utilized an online survey to assess the demographic characteristics and mental health status of secondary school students in Lianyungang City. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to evaluate sleep disturbances in adolescents. The seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) assessed anxiety symptoms, and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) was used to measure perceived social support.

RESULTS

Among 3443 adolescents, the prevalence of sleep disorders were 10.8%, with significantly higher proportions of sleep disorders (13.7% VS 8.3%, P < 0.001) among female adolescents when compared to males. Binary regression analysis revealed that anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.305, 95% CI: 1.269-1.342, P < 0.001) was risk factor for sleep disturbances, and significant other support (OR = 0.944, 95% CI: 0.896-0.994, P = 0.028) and good annual household income (OR = 0.616, 95% CI: 0.394-0.963, P = 0.034) were protective factors. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, and anxiety symptoms were associated with an elevated risk of experiencing more frequent sleep disturbances (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We have found that 10.8% of adolescents experience sleep disorders, and it is evident that various factors can influence healthy sleeping. These results underscore the significance of addressing these factors to enhance sleep health among this population.

The Links Among Cumulative Ecological Risk and Smartphone Addiction, Sleep Quality in Chinese University Freshmen: A Two-Wave Study

Purpose

While previous research has highlighted the influence of family, school, and peer factors on smartphone addiction and sleep quality, the cumulative effects of these risk factors and their underlying causal relationships remain poorly understood. Therefore, based on the cumulative risk model and the bioecological model of human development, this study examined the longitudinal associations between cumulative ecological risk and smartphone addiction and sleep quality.

Methods

A survey was conducted among 653 Chinese university freshmen (mean age 18.56) at two distinct time points, with a 6-month interval. The initial assessment focused on family, school, and peer risk factors, while the subsequent assessment focused on smartphone addiction and sleep quality.

Results

Approximately 63.71% of university freshmen were found to be at risk of exposure. Compared to other risk-exposure groups, the group with no-risk exposure exhibited the lowest scores for smartphone addiction and sleep quality. The relationships between cumulative ecological risk and smartphone addiction and sleep quality displayed a linear pattern and a discernible "gradient effect". Smartphone addiction was identified as a fully mediating factor in the link between cumulative ecological risk and sleep quality, with a mediating effect value of 0.08 (representing 44.44% of the total effect).

Conclusion

University freshmen face various risks associated with their families, schools, and peers. The cumulative ecological risk can, directly and indirectly, impact sleep quality by influencing smartphone addiction. Given the observed "gradient effect" of cumulative ecological risk on smartphone addiction and sleep quality, it is imperative to adopt comprehensive risk prevention strategies to mitigate the impact of each risk factor.

An examination of personality expression in everyday life in a Canadian sample of racialized undergraduate students

OBJECTIVE

There is a growing body of research regarding the situations that are linked to personality expression in daily life. We examined racialized young adults' experiences of racial and ethnic cues, and variables from prior personality expression research.

METHOD

We assessed Big Five personality states in racialized undergraduate students (N = 180) in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada using experience sampling methodology. Participants (Mage  = 19.85-years-old; 51% South Asian, 17% East Asian, 11% African, 11% Middle Eastern, 9% Southeast Asian, 8% Black-North American, 5% Caribbean, 3% Afro-Caribbean, 2% Central American, 2% White/European, 1% South American, 1% North African, 1% South and Central American, 1% Afro-European, 3% another) provided five assessments daily over 12 days (Nobservations  = 6980).

RESULTS

We observed within-person associations from past personality expression research (e.g., participants exhibited greater conscientiousness when at school). Racial and ethnic cues from previous studies of racial and ethnic identity, stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice were associated with situational characteristics (e.g., being in a majority White space was associated with being in public), and with Big Five personality states (e.g., racial identity salience was associated with extraversion).

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that assessing sociocultural variables beyond the individual provides an opportunity for better understanding personality expression.

Daily agreeableness and acculturation processes in ethnic/racial minority freshmen: The role of inter-ethnic contact and perceived discrimination

OBJECTIVES

Having higher levels of mainstream cultural orientation (MCO), an important component of acculturation attitudes and behaviors, is beneficial for ethnic/racial minority students during the transitions into university. Scant research has investigated MCO at a micro daily timescale. This study examined how personality (agreeableness) functions in conjunction with interpersonal processes (inter-ethnic contact and perceived discrimination) to influence MCO as daily within-person processes.

METHODS

Multi-level structural equation modeling were used to analyze month-long daily diary data from 209 ethnic/racial minority freshmen (69% female).

RESULTS

There was a positive indirect association between agreeableness and MCO through inter-ethnic contact at both within- and between-person levels. At the within-person level, on days with lower (vs. higher) levels of ethnic/racial discrimination, higher levels of agreeableness were associated with higher levels of MCO.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the contributions of intensive longitudinal data in elucidating ethnic/racial minority students' personality and acculturation processes in daily life involving protective and risk factors on micro timescales.

Effects of perceived stress, self-acceptance and social support on insomnia in hemodialysis patients: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of perceived stress, self-acceptance and social support on insomnia among hemodialysis patients in China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gansu, China, from May 2022 to July 2022. The Chinese Perceived Stress Scales (CPSS), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Self-acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were evaluated in 610 hemodialysis patients.

RESULTS

The prevalence of insomnia among hemodialysis patients was 40.7% in this study. Insomnia was positively correlated with perceived stress (r = 0.742, P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with self-acceptance (r = -0.531, P < 0.01) and social support (r = -0.574, P < 0.01). Self-acceptance played a mediating role in perceived stress and insomnia, with the mediating effect accounting for 13.8% of the total effect. Social support played a moderating role in perceived stress and insomnia (β = -0.008, t = -5.112, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study enrich the research on the influencing factors of insomnia in hemodialysis patients and provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for improving the sleep quality of hemodialysis patients.

Factors Underpinning the Shift to Eveningness during Early Adolescence: Pubertal Development and Family Conflicts

Biological and psychosocial factors have been related to the shift to eveningness during early adolescence but it is necessary to study them from a longitudinal perspective. This longitudinal study examined the contribution of these factors to the onset of a shift towards eveningness in early adolescence. A sample of 440 (49.9% boys) Spanish adolescents were assessed for pubertal development, family conflicts, and morningness/eveningness. The same measures were taken twice at the age of 12 and one year later (T1: M = 12.47, SD = 0.75 and T2: M = 13.64, SD = 0.78). Pubertal development and family conflicts were considered predictors of morningness/eveningness in a mixed-effects multilevel model. The developmental shift towards eveningness appeared in girls but not in boys. The shift was related to more advanced pubertal development and more conflicts in the family. This study has implications for shaping healthy sleep habits in adolescents and possible interventions focused on family dynamics.

The Social Side of Sleep: A Systematic Review of the Longitudinal Associations between Peer Relationships and Sleep Quality

In adolescence, peer relationships become crucial since youths start to rely on their peers for support. Thus, multiple facets of adolescents' well-being are affected by their peer relationships. In this vein, one of the central well-being aspects that could be affected by the peer relationships of adolescents is sleep quality. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how multiple peer relationship factors (i.e., positive, negative, emotional, and behavioral issues related to peer relationships) are intertwined with adolescents' sleep quality. For this reason, this systematic review with meta-analysis aims to summarize longitudinal studies to uncover how the interplay between peer relationship factors and adolescents' sleep quality unfolds over time. Nineteen longitudinal studies involving a total of 21,232 adolescents were included. Overall, findings from this review showed that (a) positive peer relationships and sleep quality were not associated over time; (b) negative peer relationships and sleep quality were bidirectionally associated over time; (c) few studies evaluated the bidirectional relations between emotional and behavioral issues and sleep quality, showing links with sleep schedule and duration, but not with sleep quality. Meta-analytic results were discussed, considering their implications.

Every Day Matters: Using Daily Methods to Understand Oppression and BIPOC Youth Development in Context

There is an increasing use of daily methods (e.g., daily diaries, experience sampling method) by research investigating the roles of oppression, racism, and discrimination on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) youth adjustment. This commentary discusses several promising directions in which daily methods can help (1) understand adolescents' oppression-related experiences in everyday life, (2) investigate the immediate and long-term implications of these experiences, and (3) explore the role of protective processes and broader contexts. Moving forward, daily methods can be more broadly integrated into other methodologies (e.g., longitudinal designs, qualitative/mixed methods), providing unique insights into how systems of oppression become relevant in BIPOC adolescents' everyday life and informing practices to improve their adjustment on a daily basis and over the long term.