Discrimination and Sleep: Differential Effects by Type and Coping Strategy

Discrimination has been posited as a contributor of sleep disparities for Latinxs. The strategy used to cope with discrimination may reduce or exacerbate its effects on sleep. This study examined whether different types of discrimination (everyday and major lifetime discrimination) were associated with sleep indices (quality, disturbances, efficiency) and whether coping strategy used moderated associations.

Data of Latinx adults (N = 602; 51% women, 65% Dominican, Mage = 46.72 years) come from the Latino Health and Well-being Project, a community-based, cross-sectional study of Latinxs in Lawrence, MA. Multiple linear regressions were estimated separately for each sleep outcome.

Everyday discrimination was significantly associated with poorer sleep quality and greater disturbances; major lifetime discrimination was significantly associated with worse sleep across the three sleep indices. Coping strategy moderated associations between discrimination and sleep. Compared with Latinxs who used passive coping, those who used passive-active coping strategies had poorer sleep quality the more they experienced everyday discrimination. Latinxs who used any active coping strategy, compared with passive coping, had greater sleep disturbances the more frequently they experienced major lifetime discrimination.

Findings show that everyday discrimination and major lifetime discrimination are associated with different dimensions of sleep and suggest that coping with discrimination may require the use of different strategies depending on the type of discrimination experienced.