Abstract
Introduction
Chronic insufficient sleep is linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes, with African Americans reporting and objectively receiving poorer sleep outcomes in comparison to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. African Americans live disproportionately in low-income and disordered neighborhoods that increase one’s risk of experiencing a traumatic event and interfere with sleep. It has been demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder disrupts sleep in part due to its association with sleep-related fears. However, less research has evaluated the additional contribution of perceived neighborhood stress on the sleep-related fears African Americans experience in their sleep environments.
Methods
The present study features a nonclinical sample of 163 African American participants (ages 18–35) who reside in DC to investigate whether PTSD severity (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 Severity Score, CAPS-5) and perceived neighborhood stress (City Stress Index, CSI) are predictive of sleep-related fears (Fear of Sleep Inventory, FoSI).
Results
After controlling for gender, hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that PTSD severity and perceptions of the neighborhood environment accounted for approximately 33% of the variance in sleep-related fears (∆R2 = .329, p = .000). Regression coefficients suggest that subjective perceptions of the neighborhood (β = .388) may be a stronger predictor of sleep-related fears than PTSD severity (β = .300)
Conclusion
Results from this study have implications for future interventions that involve improving coping skills among African Americans in the context of their sleep environments.
Support (if any)
5R01HL136626 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Treatment barriers for low-income, urban African Americans with undiagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder
