Sleep and Economic Status Are Linked to Daily Life Stress in African-Born Blacks Living in America.

Zoe C Waldman,Peter L Whitesell,Annemarie Wentzel,Lilian S Mabundo,Blayne R Schenk,Arielle C Patterson,Thomas Hormenu,Marie Grace Duhuze Karera,Ram Jagannathan,Margrethe F Horlyck-Romanovsky,Anne E Sumner,Christopher W Dubose

doi:10.3390/ijerph19052562

Abstract

To identify determinants of daily life stress in Africans in America, 156 African-born Blacks (Age: 40 ± 10 years (mean ± SD), range 22–65 years) who came to the United States as adults (age ≥ 18 years) were asked about stress, sleep, behavior and socioeconomic status. Daily life stress and sleep quality were assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. High-stress was defined by the threshold of the upper quartile of population distribution of PSS (≥16) and low-stress as PSS < 16. Poor sleep quality required PSQI > 5. Low income was defined as <40 k yearly. In the high and low-stress groups, PSS were: 21 ± 4 versus 9 ± 4, p < 0.001 and PSQI were: 6 ± 3 versus 4 ± 3, p < 0.001, respectively. PSS and PSQI were correlated (r = 0.38, p < 0.001). The odds of high-stress were higher among those with poor sleep quality (OR 5.11, 95% CI: 2.07, 12.62), low income (OR 5.03, 95% CI: 1.75, 14.47), and no health insurance (OR 3.01, 95% CI: 1.19, 8.56). Overall, in African-born Blacks living in America, daily life stress appears to be linked to poor quality sleep and exacerbated by low income and lack of health insurance.

Highlights

African-born Blacks who migrate to the United States as adults are faced with the stress of changing countries, cultures, and continents [1,2,3]
Materials and Methods cardiometabolic health of African-born Blacks living in the United States [23,25,26,27,28]
Comparison by African region of origin revealed that BMI was highest in West Africans and income lowest in Central Africans

Summary

Introduction

African-born Blacks who migrate to the United States as adults are faced with the stress of changing countries, cultures, and continents [1,2,3]. Stress results from a combination of factors, some of which need immediate attention such as obtaining housing, food, and employment and some of which are chronic, including the events which precipitated immigration [2,4,5,6]. Between 2000 and 2016, the Black African immigrant population in the United States more than doubled from 574,000 to 1.6 million [1,7]. Between 2010 and 2018, the African-born Black population living in the United States increased 52% compared to. 12% for the overall foreign-born population [1,7].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion