Worrying about future finances and sleep problems: loneliness as a psychosocial pathway

This study provides the first longitudinal evidence on whether anticipatory financial strain, defined as worrying about one's future finances, is associated with loneliness and sleep problems, whether loneliness mediates the association between anticipatory financial strain and sleep problems, and whether these relationships vary by gender.

Using Waves 10 and 13 of the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, corresponding to fieldwork conducted in 2018-2020 and 2021-2023, respectively (20,355 individuals; 40,710 person-wave observations), fixed-effects regression models were estimated to assess within-person changes over time. Sleep problems were measured using five PSQI-derived indicators. Mediation was assessed using the Karlson-Holm-Breen method, and moderation was examined using interaction terms.

Anticipatory financial strain-expecting to be worse off rather than the same or better off-was associated with higher loneliness and worse outcomes on specific sleep dimensions, including poorer sleep quality and greater sleep disturbance. Loneliness partially mediated the association between anticipatory financial strain and these sleep outcomes. In contrast, anticipatory financial strain was not significantly associated with sleep latency, daytime dysfunction, or sleep medication use. Gender did not moderate the association between anticipatory financial strain and loneliness or most sleep dimensions, with the exception of sleep medication use.

Interventions and policies aimed at reducing financial uncertainty, alongside strategies that strengthen social connections and reduce loneliness, may help mitigate sleep problems among individuals experiencing heightened economic worry.