Social Determinants of Latina/o Sleep Health: Insights and Implications for Behavioral Interventions

Abstract

Sleep is increasingly recognized as an important behavioral and public health issue for all in the United States (US). Yet, Latina/o sleep health is understudied despite the fact that Latina/os compose 16.3% of the US population, and that sleep problems are prevalent among Latina/os. Additionally, racial/ethnic and language-based disparities in access to safe and effective behavioral health interventions for prevalent sleep-wake disorders persist. In this talk, I will draw from frameworks in psychology, public health, social work, and medicine to discuss recent evidence from my program of research on the relative association of sociocultural stressors and general psychosocial stress with various dimensions of subjectively- and objectively-measured sleep among Latina/os, and discuss implications for behavioral sleep intervention science. Second, I will describe formative work behind an ongoing mixed-methods Hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial that tests a culturally adapted self-guided digital version of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia versus usual care in Spanish-speaking Latina/o primary care patients. Finally, I will conclude by discussing future mechanistic and ecological research on the bi-directional relationships between sleep, stress, and self-regulatory processes among Latina/os.