Ethnic differences in symptoms of insomnia among adolescents

Abstract

Subject objective: To provide data on the prevalence of symptoms of disturbed sleep, particularly insomnia, and to ascertain whether there are differentials attributable to ethnic culture or ethnic status.

Design: Data were collected from youths (aged 11-17 years) and adult caregivers from a community-based sample of households using personal interviews and questionnaires.

Setting: Managed-care subscriber populations in metropolitan area of over 4.5 million.

Participants: The sample consisted of 4175 youths and their caregivers (35.4% European American, 35.4% African American, 20.5% Mexican American, and 8.7% Other American).

Interventions: N/A.

Measurements and results: The overall prevalence of DSM-IV insomnia-like syndrome in the past month was 4.7%. Females were more likely to report this syndrome, as were lower-income youths. Prevalence for European American youths was 5.3%, 5.2% for African American, and 3.5% Mexican American youths (p > .05). There also were some ethnic differences across symptoms of sleep disturbance that constitute insomnia.

Conclusion: For most comparisons, subsequent multivariate analyses indicate no significant ethnic difference, supporting the hypothesis that observed ethnic differences are due primarily to the effects of status differences (e.g., age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.). Insomnia clearly is a major public health problem, with prevalences comparable to mood, anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders among adolescents.