LAUSR

Discrimination is a risk factor for poor sleep outcomes. Physiological activation is one mechanism tying the experience of discrimination to disturbed sleep. Discrimination, however, can also impact psychosocial well-being, which is a necessary precursor for healthy sleep. Feelings of safety derived from social connections can be threatened when individuals face discrimination. The objective of the current study was to examine the role of social well-being as a factor underlying the longitudinal association between discrimination and sleep quality. An archival analysis was conducted with 937 adults participating in the longitudinal Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Data was collected at three time points across 10 years. Perceived daily discrimination and overall social well-being were assessed via self-report. Sleep quality was assessed via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Global Sleep Quality score. The overall model accounted for 15.6% of variance in global sleep quality. Controlling for multiple covariates, more frequent experiences of discrimination predicted worse global sleep quality 10 years later (β=.06, p=.03). Worse overall social well-being was a significant mediator of the discrimination-global sleep quality association (95% CI [.0001, .0118]), such that more frequent discrimination predicted lower overall social well-being, which, in turn, was associated with worse global sleep quality. Given the persistence of sleep disparities among stigmatized and marginalized groups and the importance of sleep as a means of health disparity reduction, there is a need to identify mechanisms linking discrimination to poor sleep outcomes. Daily experiences of discrimination, such as being given less respect or treated as though less intelligent, have long-lasting associations with social well-being. Furthermore, social well-being is a predictor of future sleep quality. In addition to addressing discriminatory practices, targeting the effects of social well-being on sleep is a direction for future research. N/A