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. 2024:3:1403818.
doi: 10.3389/frsle.2024.1403818. Epub 2024 Oct 30.

Associations between Recession Hardships and Subjective and Objective Sleep Measures in the Midlife in the United States Study: Race and Gender Differences

Aarti C Bhat  1   2   3 , Jose A Diaz  1   2 , Sun Ah Lee  1   2 , David M Almeida  1   2   3 , Soomi Lee  1   2
Affiliations

Associations between Recession Hardships and Subjective and Objective Sleep Measures in the Midlife in the United States Study: Race and Gender Differences

Aarti C Bhat et al. Front Sleep. 2024.

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigates the associations of retrospective reports of Recession hardships with 10-year changes in subjective and objective indicators of sleep, and whether these associations differ by race and gender.

Methods: 501 adults (14.57% Black; 54.49% female) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study reported on the subjective Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) across two waves (pre-Recession, collected 2004-2009; post-Recession, collected 2017-2022), as well as Recession hardships since 2008. A sub-sample of 201 adults (25.37% Black; 58.21% female) provided objective actigraphy-measured sleep data (total sleep time, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency) across the two waves.

Results: Descriptive analyses revealed Black participants had higher average Recession hardships, poorer post-Recession PSQI scores, and poorer post-Recession actigraphy sleep quantity and quality compared to white participants. Females had higher average Recession hardships compared to males; and reported poorer post-Recession PSQI, but had better objective post-Recession sleep quantity and quality compared to males. Regression models showed Recession hardships (across overall events, and sub-domains of financial and housing hardships) were associated with poorer PSQI and actigraphy-measured sleep efficiency following the Recession, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, corresponding pre-Recession sleep variables, and pre-Recession chronic conditions. There was no evidence for significant moderation by race on sleep outcomes. However, gender moderation indicated associations between housing hardships and poorer actigraphy-measured sleep efficiency were more apparent for females than for males.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that Recession hardships (particularly in financial and housing domains) may be manifested in poor sleep. Racial and gender groups may have differential exposure and sleep-related reactivity to Recession hardships.

Keywords: Recession; actigraphy; midlife; sleep; social determinants of health; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

5Conflict of Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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