title: The Contribution of Psychosocial Stressors to Sleep among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study.
abstract: Studies have shown that psychosocial stressors are related to poor sleep. However, studies of African Americans, who may be more vulnerable to the impact of psychosocial stressors, are lacking. Using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) baseline data, we examined associations of psychosocial stressors with sleep in 4,863 African Americans.
  
  
  
  We examined cross-sectional associations between psychosocial stressors and sleep duration and quality in a large population sample of African Americans. Three measures of psychosocial stress were investigated: the Global Perceived Stress Scale (GPSS); Major Life Events (MLE); and the Weekly Stress Inventory (WSI). Sleep was assessed using self-reported hours of sleep and sleep quality rating (1 = poor; 5 = excellent). Multinomial logistic and linear regression models were used to examine the association of each stress measure (in quartiles) with continuous and categorical sleep duration (< 5 ("very short"), 5-6 h ("short") and > 9 h ("long") versus 7 or 8 h ("normal"); and with sleep quality after adjustment for demographics and risk factors (body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, physical activity).
  
  
  
  Mean age of the sample was 54.6 years and 64% were female. Mean sleep duration was 6.4 + 1.5 hours, 54% had a short sleep duration, 5% had a long sleep duration, and 34% reported a "poor" or "fair" sleep quality. Persons in the highest GPSS quartile had higher odds of very short sleep (odds ratio: 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.02, 4.08), higher odds of short sleep (1.72, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.12), shorter average sleep duration (Δ = -33.6 min (95% CI: -41.8, -25.4), and reported poorer sleep quality (Δ = -0.73 (95% CI: -0.83, -0.63) compared to those in the lowest quartile of GPSS after adjustment for covariates. Similar patterns were observed for WSI and MLE. Psychosocial stressors were not associated with long sleep. For WSI, effects of stress on sleep duration were stronger for younger (< 60 y) and college-educated African-Americans.
  
  
  
  Psychosocial stressors are associated with higher odds of short sleep, lower average sleep duration, and lower sleep quality in African Americans. Psychosocial stressors may be a point of intervention among African Americans for the improvement of sleep and downstream health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI.|Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Dayna A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lisabeth
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Tené T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.|Center for Research, Evaluation, and Environmental & Policy Change, My Brother's Keeper, Inc, Jackson, MS.
authors.forename: DeMarc A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hickson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.
authors.forename: Tandaw
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Samdarshi
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Ana V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Diez Roux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014481:United States
keywords: African American; Jackson Heart Study; psychosocial stress; sleep duration; sleep quality