Associations between Perceived Discrimination and Sleep Health: Results from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Young Adult Sleep Study

OBJECTIVES We investigated cross-sectional associations between perceived discrimination and actigraphic sleep health among young adults.

METHODS Data from the age 22 wave (mean ± SD age = 22.1 ± 0.4 years) of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Young Adult Sleep Study, a national birth cohort originally drawn from 20 U.S. cities, included young adults (n = 334; 68.9% Black, 14.7% Hispanic/Latino) who self-reported experiences of discrimination. Wrist-worn actigraphy was collected across ∼2 weeks from 2020-2024 and measures included sleep duration, onset, midpoint, maintenance efficiency (SMeff), and wake after sleep onset (WASO). Multiple linear regression models examined the association between experiencing a specific type of discrimination and dimensions of sleep health, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS Job-based discrimination was associated with shorter sleep duration. Age-based discrimination was associated with worse sleep quality (more WASO and lower SMeff).

CONCLUSIONS We found that the association between perceived discrimination and sleep health varied by type of experience and the sleep dimension examined. Future research using longitudinal designs, nuanced measures of discrimination, or interventions targeting coping and stress regulation may help clarify discrimination-sleep pathways and reduce sleep disparities.