THE IMPACT OF WORK TYPE, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND SLEEP CHARACTERISTICS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

This study investigated the role of socioeconomic status (SES) as a factor of work type and as a predictor of cumulative GPA. Further, it examined the impact of work type on the relationship between sleep and academic performance. It was predicted that: (1) students with lower parental SES are more likely to work shift work than students with higher parental SES; and (2) students with shift work schedules will have worse academic performance and poorer sleep than non-working college students and non-shift work student workers. The sample consisted of 907 students from a single Midwestern university categorized into four different work type groups (i.e., unemployed, day, shift, combination). The participants completed an investigator-designed questionnaire on demographic and lifestyle choices, along with a 7-day sleep diary. The data was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions and Post-Hoc LSD tests. Findings showed that unemployed students had the highest GPA, while the combination work type group reported the lowest GPA. The combination work type group also had the highest reported SES, while daytime workers reported the lowest SES. For unemployed, day, and shift-working groups, increased consistency of TST and sleep midpoint predicted higher GPA. For the combination work type group, the consistency of sleep midpoint was the only significant variable in predicting GPA; an increase in consistency ofsleep/rise times predicted better academic performance.The results indicated that the consistency of sleep is more significant than a single night’s. Further, findings suggest that SES indirectly affects sleep through its influence on student’s work type.