0121 Discrimination Attributed to Personal Characteristics and Sleep Health Among Black/African American Young Adults

Abstract Introduction Perceived discrimination is associated with sleep health problems. This association is even stronger among Black/African Americans, who are typically exposed to more frequent discrimination in the US. Limited research examines how perceptions of discrimination impact young adults’ sleep health, particularly using objective measures. The current study investigated the association between perceived discrimination experiences and sleep health among Black/African American young adults. Methods Data from age 22 wave of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing, Young Adult Sleep Study (YASS) included Black/African American young adults (n = 221) who self-reported experiences of discrimination due to their race/skin color, gender, and age. Wrist-worn actigraphy measures across ~2 weeks included sleep duration, sleep maintenance efficiency, and wake after sleep onset (WASO). Multiple linear regression models examined the association between perceived discrimination experiences based on personal attributes and dimensions of sleep adjusting for age, gender, and educational attainment. Results Among this sample of Black/African American young adults, perceived experiences of discrimination in their life were not associated with actigraphic sleep duration. Perceived discrimination attributed to race/skin color, age, or gender were not associated with sleep duration. Perceived experiences of discrimination in their life were also not associated with actigraphic sleep maintenance efficiency. Perceived discrimination attributed to age was associated with lower sleep maintenance efficiency (-3.01%, p.001) and more WASO (+10.64 minutes/night, p=.004) compared to young adults who did not perceive age discrimination. Perceived discrimination attributed to gender was associated with lower sleep maintenance efficiency (-2.12%, p=.023) and more WASO (+9.47 minutes/night, p=.019), and were not different between women and men. Gender did not modify associations of sleep measures with perceived discrimination attributed to race/skin color or age. Conclusion Black/African American young adults’ perceived discrimination due to specific personal attributes (age and gender) are linked to lower sleep maintenance efficiency and more WASO. Future longitudinal research should examine whether perceived discrimination in young adulthood predicts poorer sleep health across time. Support (if any) R25-HL147668, R01HD073352, R01HD36916, R01HD39135, and R01HD40421