Civic engagement, discrimination, and sleep health among youth of color

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effect of discrimination experiences on the association between civic engagement and sleep in youth of color. Participants included 125 college students (M_age = 20.41, SD = 1.41, 22.6% cisgender male). Most of the sample (28%) identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin; 26% identified as multi-racial/ethnicity; 23% identified as Asian; 19% identified as Black or African American; and 4% identified as Middle Eastern or North African. Youth self-reported their civic engagement (civic activism and civic efficacy), discriminatory experiences, and sleep duration during the week of the 2016 United States presidential inauguration (T1) and again approximately 100 days later (T2). Civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. In contexts of discrimination, however, more civic activism and efficacy was associated with less sleep duration. In contexts of low discrimination, more civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. Thus, civic engagement within supportive contexts may contribute to positive sleep among youth of color. Working toward dismantling racist systems may be one way to combat the racial/ethnic sleep disparities that underlie long-term health inequalities.

Keywords: Civic engagement; discrimination; moderation; sleep; youth of color.

Figure 1.

Discrimination moderates the longitudinal relation between civic engagement and sleep duration. (A). Statistical diagram depicting the results of a simple moderation analyses where the relationship between civic activism and sleep duration was moderated by discrimination. Analysis of conditional effects revealed that in contexts of high discrimination, more civic activism was significantly associated with less sleep duration. (B). Statistical diagram depicting the results of a simple moderation analyses where the relationship between civic efficacy and sleep duration was moderated by discrimination. Analysis of conditional effects revealed that in contexts of low and average discrimination, more civic activism was significantly associated with longer sleep duration. NS = not significant, *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001. T1 = time 1; T2 = time 2; SE = standard error. Site coded as New York = 1 and Arizona = 0. Gender coded as male = 1 and female = 0.