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Sleep among gender minority adolescents
Jessica C Levenson1,2, Brian C Thoma1, Jessica L Hamilton1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
Sleep
|September 19, 2020
Summary
Gender minority adolescents (GMAs) experience worse sleep than their peers. This study found GMAs reported shorter sleep duration, inadequate sleep, and poorer sleep quality, even after accounting for depression.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Sleep Science
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Stigma negatively impacts sleep in youth.
- Gender minority adolescents (GMAs) face unique stressors.
- Sleep disparities in GMAs remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sleep duration, problems, and quality in GMAs.
- To compare sleep parameters between GMAs and non-GMAs.
- To explore the relationship between sleep and mental health in GMAs.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional online survey of 1,776 adolescents (14-18 years).
- Included gender minority adolescents (GMAs) and heterosexual non-GMAs.
- Assessed sleep duration, sleep problems, sleep quality, and depressive symptoms.
Main Results:
- GMAs reported shorter sleep duration and inadequate sleep compared to heterosexual non-GMAs.
- GMAs had higher odds of poor sleep quality and experiencing too little/too much sleep.
- Poor sleep quality in GMAs remained significant after adjusting for depressive symptoms.
Conclusions:
- GMAs are more likely to experience poor sleep than non-GMAs.
- Depression may mediate the relationship between gender identity and sleep quality.
- Further research with objective sleep measures is needed to understand GMA sleep disparities.
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