Abstract
Abstract Introduction Our health is influenced by the environment in which we live. Due to socioeconomic differences, disparities exist across neighborhoods, with certain groups experiencing higher detriments to their health compared to others. Emotional distressing experiences due to the neighborhood in which we live cause stress levels to rise. Given the psychological and physiological impact of stress, high levels of stress can be a contributing factor for poor sleep. We investigated the influence of feelings of neighborhood safety on stress and sleep and the ethnic differences found in each of these outcomes. In addition, we ask whether feelings of neighborhood safety mediate the association between stress and sleep. Methods 1,606 participants were recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk to participate in a questionnaire. Components of this survey included demographic data, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Neighborhood Questionnaire Neighborhood Safety Subscale. Results We found that as neighborhood safety levels rise, stress levels lower. Further, ethnic differences were found for feelings of neighborhood safety, stress, and sleep: Latino participants had the lowest feelings of neighborhood safety, highest stress levels, and worst sleep. We also found that stress mediates the association between neighborhood safety and sleep. Conclusion Our results highlight the contribution of feeling safe in one's own neighborhood on stress and sleep outcomes. Given the ethnic differences present in each of our outcomes, future work should investigate neighborhood characteristics influencing neighborhood safety as possible areas of intervention benefitting sleep. Support (If Any)
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