Sleep and mental health among youth experiencing homelessness: A retrospective pilot diary study.

Autor: Budescu M; Department of Psychology, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA. Electronic address: mia.budescu@lehman.cuny.edu., Reid A; Department of Psychology, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA., Sisselman-Borgia A; Department of Social Work, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA., Holbrook N; Department of Psychology, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA., Valera D; Department of Psychology, Lehman College of the City University of New York, Bronx, New York, USA., Torino GC; Department of Human Development, Empire State College, Staten Island, New York, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Sleep health [Sleep Health] 2024 Feb; Vol. 10 (1), pp. 54-59. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 21.
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.10.003
Abstrakt: Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe the nightly sleep conditions of youth experiencing homelessness, and examine the association between sleep and mental health, both cross-sectionally and using diary data.
Methods: n = 147 youth (ages 16-24) experiencing homelessness completed a baseline survey assessing self-reported sleep and depressive and anxious symptoms. A subsample of n = 49 completed a follow-up 7-day diary study measuring nightly sleep conditions and daily depressive and somatic symptoms.
Results: According to baseline data, the majority of the sample (71%) reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night on average, and feeling like they did not get adequate sleep, especially among youth identifying as LGBTQ. In a qualitative follow-up question, the plurality attributed poor sleep to mental health woes. Cross-sectionally, youth with lower levels of self-reported sleep quality (more daytime fatigue and insomnia) reported higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms. The diary data indicated that the most common nightly complaints among shelter utilizers are lack of privacy, noise, and uncomfortable temperatures. Multilevel models suggest that poor sleep conditions predicted higher levels of somatic symptoms the following day, after controlling for baseline levels of depressive and anxious symptoms.
Conclusions: This study highlights the role environmental context plays in sleep health and its subsequent impacts. Individuals experiencing homelessness lack autonomy over their sleeping environments, and thus cannot make adjustments such as reducing disruptions such as noise, temperature, and light. Importantly, these less-than-ideal sleeping conditions contribute to pre-existing health disparities and may have long-term implications.
Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicts of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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