Chronic Discrimination and Sleep Problems in Late Life: Religious Involvement as Buffer

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Sleep problems are common in older adults and linked to stress.
• Chronic discrimination may impact sleep, but confounding factors are a concern.
• Religious involvement might influence the discrimination-sleep association.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems in older adults.
• To investigate if religious involvement modifies this association.
• To control for time-stable confounding factors in the analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from three waves (2006, 2010, 2014) of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,130).
• Employed econometric models to control for time-stable confounding influences.
• Analyzed the moderating role of religious involvement on the discrimination-sleep relationship.

Main Results:

• The overall association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems was negated after controlling for time-stable confounders.
• Religious involvement did not modify the association for men.
• A significant association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems was observed among women who do not attend religious services.

Conclusions:

• The link between chronic discrimination and sleep quality in late life appears substantially inflated by unobserved time-stable confounders.
• Women who do not attend religious services may be a specific risk group for sleep problems related to discrimination.
• Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this specific risk in non-attending women.