Sleep Tight, Don't Fight? Daily Sleep Quality and Marital Strain in Same- and Different-Sex Marriages in the United States.

Introduction Military Veterans tend to experience chronic pain and sleep problems of higher intensity and prevalence than the general population, and may be more likely to self-medicate with substances such as alcohol. Research suggests that sleep and pain are interrelated. However, few studies have examined bidirectional links between daily sleep quality and duration with pain among Veterans, especially those with alcohol use disorders. Furthermore, it has not been studied whether daily alcohol consumption (whether they drank or not) moderates everyday associations between sleep and pain among Veterans with alcohol use disorders. Methods 114 Veterans with alcohol use disorder (82.5% men: mean age = 38.86 [range 21–67]) completed 14 days of diaries assessing their sleep quality, sleep duration, pain, and drinking quantity. Multilevel modeling examined the effects of daily variability in sleep (within-person effects) and average levels of sleep (between-person effects) on pain the following day. To examine the effects of pain on sleep, multilevel modeling examined the effects of daily variability in pain and average levels of pain on sleep. Results Regarding bidirectional links of sleep quality and pain, greater daily (b=−.86, se=.41, p=.04) and average (b=−15.51, se=3.28, p<.001) sleep quality were associated with lower next-day pain. Higher average pain was associated with poorer sleep quality (b=−.01, se=.002, p< .001), but daily pain was not associated with daily sleep quality. Regarding bidirectional links of sleep duration and pain, there was no daily association between sleep duration and pain, but greater average sleep duration was associated with lower pain levels (b=−4.84, se=1.60, p=.003). Daily drinking did not moderate these associations. Conclusion Both sleep quality and sleep duration are closely associated with pain among Veterans with alcohol use disorder. Fluctuations of daily sleep quality affected Veterans’ pain experience in everyday life regardless of alcohol consumption; in contrast, fluctuation of daily pain did not affect daily sleep quality, implying that Veterans with alcohol use disorder are sensitive to poor sleep quality. The results support that sleep quality may buffer daily pain experiences among this patient population. Support (if any) 5K23AA026895

Although sleep disparities contribute to racial health disparities, little is known about factors affecting sleep among African Americans. One such factor may be positive affect, which could impact sleep directly (direct effect hypothesis) or indirectly by buffering the effects of stress (stress buffering hypothesis). We tested the direct effect and stress buffering effects of positive affect on sleep at three levels (day, week, trait) in a sample of 210 older African American adults, ranging in age from 50 to 89 years old. Daily positive affect, perceived stress, sleep quality, and sleep duration were collected for five consecutive days. Multilevel modeling was used to test the direct and stress buffering hypotheses both within-person (day level) and between-persons (week level). Trait positive affect, past five-year stress severity, and global sleep quality were assessed cross-sectionally. Regression was used to test the direct and stress buffering hypotheses at the trait level. In line with the direct effect hypothesis, higher week-level positive affect predicted better sleep quality and sleep duration. Day-level positive affect was not significantly associated with daily sleep quality or daily sleep duration. Higher trait positive affect predicted better global sleep quality. However, neither day-level perceived stress nor past five-year stress severity significantly interacted with positive affect measures for any sleep outcome; no interaction effect was observed on week-level sleep duration. Positive affect and perceived stress interacted at the week level to predict sleep quality, but not in the hypothesized direction. We found support for the direct effect hypothesis at the week- and trait-levels, but not at the day level. In contrast, we found nosupport for the stress buffering hypothesis.

Longitudinal Links Between Vicarious Racism and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Daily Sleep Quality.

This study examines the association of marital strain - as reported by each spouse - with psychological distress and considers whether the associations vary for men and women in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages. Prior studies show that marital strain is associated with psychological distress. However, most studies rely on only one spouse's perspective and do not consider how appraisals of strain from both spouses may contribute to distress. Moreover, possible gender differences in these associations have been considered only for heterosexual couples. Analyses are based on 10 days of dyadic diary data from 756 midlife U.S. men and women in 378 gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages. Multilevel modeling is used to examine the association of self- and spouse-reported marital strain with psychological distress; actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) explore possible gender differences in these associations. Both self- and spousal-reports of marital strain are associated with psychological distress, with notable gender differences. The associations of self- and spouse-reported marital strain with distress are stronger for women in different-sex marriages when compared to men in same-sex and different-sex marriages. The association is also stronger for women in different-sex marriages compared to women in same-sex marriages, but for self-reported strain only. Marital appraisals by both spouses are important for psychological well-being and may be especially important for the well-being of women in different-sex marriages.

Sleep, a process that restores the body's ability to self-regulate, may be one important factor affecting self-care behaviors and blood glucose (BG) levels. The link between sleep quality, self-care behaviors, and BG levels may occur by sleep-altering daily self-regulatory failures. This study examined whether the relation between sleep quality and self-care behaviors occurred through self-regulation failures and whether the relation between sleep quality and BG levels occurred through self-regulation failures and self-care behaviors sequentially. One hundred and ninety-nine adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) completed an online questionnaire for 14 days in which they reported sleep quality, self-regulation failures, and self-care behaviors. BG levels were gathered from glucometers. Analyses involved multilevel mediation models and focused on daily within-person and between-person variability of sleep quality. Better daily sleep quality was associated with higher self-care behaviors at both within-person and between-person levels, and self-regulation failures mediated the association between daily sleep quality and daily self-care behaviors at both within-person and between-person levels. Better daily sleep quality was associated with better BG levels at the within-person level and self-regulation behaviors and self-care behaviors sequentially mediated the association between daily sleep quality and daily BG levels at the within-person level. This study provides a process account of the importance of daily sleep quality of adults with T1D, as well as one potential mechanism-self-regulation-that may explain the effect of sleep quality on diabetes outcomes.

To examine the influence of daily sleep quality in patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) on that of their spouses and to investigate the influence of couples' sleep quality on patients' diabetes-specific stressors and couples' general stressors the following day. 199 patients with Type 1 diabetes (Mage = 46.82) and their spouses (Mage = 46.41) completed a 14-day diary where they reported on their own sleep quality, and the presence of general stressors. Patients reported the presence of diabetes-specific stressors. Multilevel modeling examined the effects of daily variability in (within-person effects) and average levels of (between-person effects) sleep quality on the number of next-day diabetes-specific stressors (controlling for prior day stressors). Furthermore, the actor-partner interdependence model was used to examine the effect of sleep quality on general stressors. Greater patients' daily sleep quality was related to their spouses' greater sleep quality. Increases in the patients' own daily- and average sleep quality were uniquely associated with fewer next day diabetes-specific stressors. Better own daily- and average sleep quality were associated with fewer general stressors for both partners. Spouses' increased daily sleep quality was associated with fewer general stressors of patients. The results support that sleep quality is a dyadic phenomenon among couples and suggest that better sleep quality may buffer diabetes specific and general stress in couples coping with T1D. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction Decreasing sleep quality is a challenge for older adults over age 65. Researchers have found significant associations between romantic relationships and sleep quality. However, most existing studies are cross-sectional; few have focused on the aging population who experience the most sleep problems; few have considered mechanisms linking close relationships and sleep quality; few have considered the specific effects of social interactions on sleep quality; and few have considered bidirectional relationships. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the bidirectional pathways linking daily partner interactions to sleep quality in older adult couples. This study also tested daily negative affect, positive affect, and perceived partner responsiveness as three possible mediators explaining recursive associations between daily partner interactions and sleep quality. Methods This study recruited 238 older adult couples to complete baseline questionnaires including assessments of attachment orientation and demographics. Couple members also completed daily diaries for 7 consecutive days, reporting on their daily relationship, emotional, and sleep experiences. Results Results supported the predicted bidirectional relationship between daily partner interactions and sleep quality via three hypothesized pathways (i.e., negative affect, positive affect, and perceived partner responsiveness). Specifically, older adults who reported higher than average negative partner interactions during the day reported increases in negative affect, and decreases in positive affect and perceived partner responsiveness on the same day, which in turn were associated with worse sleep quality that night. The opposite was true for positive partner interactions. Bidirectionally, older adults who reported higher than average sleep quality on one night reported decreases in negative affect and increases in positive affect and perceived partner responsiveness the next day, which in turn were associated with fewer negative partner interactions and more positive partner interactions that day. Results also revealed moderating effects of attachment orientation and gender. Conclusion In conclusion, this study contributes to a sparse literature assessing the bidirectional relationship between daily partner interactions and sleep quality in the aging population. This research adds to our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the recursive relationship and informs us of potential avenues for relationship-based interventions aimed at improving sleep quality. Support (if any)

Sleep is an important predictor of social functioning. However, questions remain about how impaired sleep—which is common and detrimental to affective and cognitive functions necessary for providing high quality support—is linked to both the provision and perception of support, especially at the daily level. We tested links between impaired sleep and provided and perceived support in romantic couples, and whether these links were mediated by negative affect and perspective-taking. In preregistered analyses of two 14-day diary studies (Study 1 N = 111 couples; Study 2 N = 100 couples), poor daily subjective sleep quality—but not duration—was associated with less self-reported support toward a partner (in both studies), less perceived support from a partner and less partner-reported support (in Study 1), and partner perceptions of receiving less support (in Study 2). Only greater daily negative affect consistently mediated the association between participants’ impaired sleep (i.e., poor subjective sleep quality and duration) and their own support provision, as well as their partner’s perceptions of received support. Our findings suggest that the effect of sleep on social processes may be strongest for self-reported measures of support and that unique aspects of sleep might be differentially associated with social outcomes given that sleep quality—but not duration—was consistently linked to support outcomes. These findings highlight the psychosocial influences of sleep and negative affect, and may inform approaches to promote supportive partner interactions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00180-7.

Objective Little is known about subjective sleep quality, and its relation to the poor sleep quality-stress dynamic. The present study examined stress and stress-management self-efficacy’s relation with the incongruence between previous night’s sleep quality and global sleep quality. Methods In a sample of 112 college students, 4 days of online collection assessed: daily sleep quality, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), college student specific stress, and stress management self-efficacy. The single item sleep quality component from the PSQI was removed from the global score and utilized as a sensitivity test in order to rule out recall issues. Results A multilevel modeling framework found a significant 3-way interaction was found for daily sleep quality, but not for the PSQI component. Conclusion Findings suggest that stress increases the discrepancy between daily sleep quality and global sleep score but stress-management self-efficacy mitigates against it. Future research should utilize objective sleep quality measurements to compare these congruences and probe potential recall differences.

Aim: Abnormal daily sleep duration and quality have been linked to hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity & mortality. However, the relationship between daily sleep duration and quality with subclinical measures of CVD remain less well studied. This systematic review evaluated how daily sleep duration and quality affect burden of subclinical CVD in subjects free of symptomatic CVD.Methods: Literature search was done via MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science until June 2016 and 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Sleep duration and quality were measured either via subjective methods, as self-reported questionnaires or Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) or via objective methods, as actigraphy or polysomnography or by both. Among subclinical CVD measures, coronary artery calcium (CAC) was measured by electron beam computed tomography, Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasound on carotid arteries, endothelial/microvascular function measured by flow mediated dilation (FMD) or peripheral arterial tone (PAT) or iontophoresis or nailfold capillaroscopy, and arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) or ankle brachial index (ABI).Results: Subjective short sleep duration was associated with CAC and CIMT, but variably associated with endothelial dysfunction (ED) and arterial stiffness; however, subjective long sleep duration was associated with CAC, CIMT and arterial stiffness, but variably associated with ED. Objective short sleep duration was positively associated with CIMT and variably with CAC but not associated with ED. Objective long sleep duration was variably associated with CAC and CIMT but not associated with ED. Poor subjective sleep quality was significantly associated with ED and arterial stiffness but variably associated with CAC and CIMT. Poor objective sleep quality was significantly associated with CIMT, and ED but variably associated with CAC.Conclusions: Overall, our review provided mixed results, which is generally in line with published literature, with most of the studies showing a significant relationship with subclinical CVD, but only some studies failed to demonstrate such an association. Although such mechanistic relationship needs further evaluation in order to determine appropriate screening strategies in vulnerable populations, this review strongly suggested the existence of a relationship between abnormal sleep duration and quality with increased subclinical CVD burden.

It is well-established that marriage benefits physical and emotional well-being. However, substantial evidence – based almost exclusively on one spouse in heterosexual marriages – demonstrates that marital strain increases psychological distress for married people. In this research brief, PRC graduate student trainee Michael Garcia and PRC director Debra Umberson examine whether and how marital strain reported by both the respondent and his or her spouse is associated with psychological distress and whether differences exist for women and men in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual marriages. They find that people who report higher levels of their own marital strain as well as people whose spouses report higher levels of marital strain experience more psychological distress. They also find that, compared to men in other union types, women married to men report higher levels of distress as a result of their own and their spouse’s marital strain. Women in different-sex marriages also report higher levels of distress compared to women in same-sex marriages, but as a result of self-reported strain only. This research has implications for research on marital dynamics and health as well as on counseling for married heterosexual, lesbian and gay couples.

The transition to college is associated with increased sleep difficulties. Everyday discrimination is an important social determinant of sleep difficulties, and this study examined associations between precollege exposures to everyday discrimination and sleep during the first year of college. The study also considers the mediating role of daily sleep quality. Using a combination of longitudinal surveys and daily diaries, the extent to which precollege exposures to everyday discrimination collected in the fall semester predicted sleep difficulties in the spring semester of students' first year in college was investigated in a sample of 628 diverse college students (mean age = 18.54 years). Sleep difficulties included self-reported sleep onset-related disturbance and daytime dysfunction. Precollege exposures to everyday discrimination were associated with higher levels of daytime dysfunction (but not with sleep disturbance) in the spring semester. Precollege exposures to everyday discrimination were also associated with lower mean levels of daily sleep quality across 14 days; in turn, lower daily sleep quality contributed to higher levels of daytime dysfunction in the spring. Although precollege exposures to everyday discrimination were associated with higher variability in daily sleep quality, variability in daily sleep quality was not associated with sleep difficulties in the spring. Precollege exposures to everyday discrimination were associated with sleep difficulties in the first year of college, and these sleep concerns are explained by daily-level sleep processes. Targeting daily sleep quality may be an important health lever to improve first-year college students' sleep problems and their transition to college. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationship satisfaction moderates links between poor sleep quality and psychological distress among couples coping with type 1 diabetes

Despite the increasing importance of and demand for work-life balance and employee well-being, there is a dearth of research findings on the role of recovery experiences and sleep quality in proactive behaviors and job crafting among employees. Our study is the first to examine the relationships that overnight recovery experiences and sleep quality share with next-day job crafting and the underlying mediating mechanisms. Drawing upon the self-regulatory strength model, we predict that overnight recovery experiences and sleep quality will be positively related to next-day job crafting through next-morning resilience (i.e., mediator). We also develop a sequential mediation model within which daily recovery experiences and sleep quality predict subsequent job performance through daily resilience and job crafting (i.e., mediators). Ninety-one flight attendants responded to assessments twice a day across five consecutive days, and their job performance was measured three months later. The resultant data were used to test the proposed model. As predicted, overnight recovery experiences and sleep quality were positively associated with next-day job crafting through next-morning resilience. Furthermore, daily recovery experiences and sleep quality significantly predicted subsequent job performance (i.e., three months later) through daily resilience and job crafting.

Disturbed sleep is a hallmark feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have examined sleep objectively in individuals with PTSD compared to trauma-exposed controls. This study used wrist actigraphy to measure and compare sleep patterns in trauma-exposed Australian Vietnam veterans (VV) with and without PTSD. Trauma-exposed Australian VV with and without PTSD were recruited from the PTSD Initiative. VV wore wrist accelerometers over 14 days and completed daily sleep diaries. Sleep parameters were compared between groups including sleep latency (SL), time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and movement index (MI). Night-to-night and overall within-individual variability were assessed by root mean squared successive differences and comparison of individual standard deviations. Correlations between sleep diary (self-reported) and wrist actigraphy (objective) variables were also assessed. A total of 40 male VV (20 with PTSD) participated in the study. We found no difference in sleep patterns determined by wrist actigraphy between groups with the exception of reduced SL in VV with PTSD (3.9 ± 0.9 versus 4.9 ± 1.4 minutes, P < .05). Overall within-individual variability was significantly greater in VV with PTSD for TIB, TST, WASO, and MI. Self-reported and objective TST and WASO were more strongly correlated in VV without PTSD than those with PTSD. Although there were no significant differences in sleep parameters, VV with PTSD had increased within-individual overall sleep variability and reduced correlation between self-reported and objective sleep parameters compared to trauma-exposed controls. Further evaluation of extended sleep patterns by actigraphy in VV with PTSD is warranted.