Ecological Momentary Assessment Research Articles

Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment reveals an incremental association between natural diversity and mental wellbeing

AbstractUsing smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment, this study investigated an association between natural diversity on mental wellbeing. A sample of 1,998 participants completed 41,448 assessments between April 2018 and September 2023. Environments which included a larger range of natural features, such as trees, plants and birdlife (high natural diversity) were associated with greater mental wellbeing than environments including a smaller range of natural features (low natural diversity). There was evidence of a mediating effect of natural diversity on the association between natural environments and mental wellbeing. These results highlight the importance of policies and practices that support richness of biodiversity for public mental health.

Awake bruxism report in a population of dental students with and without ecological momentary assessment monitorization-A randomised trial.

The Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) concept was the basis for developing a smartphone application for the real-time report of awake bruxism (AB) activities. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the EMA with a randomised controlled trial designed to compare the frequency of AB reported in two separate single observation points between a group of students monitored over time with an EMA smartphone application and a non-EMA monitored group. Sixty-four (N = 64) dental students (22.3 YO [±2.6]; 52F; 12 M) answered the Oral Behaviour Checklist (OBC-1) and were randomised into an EMA-group (EG) and control group (CG). EG were monitored with a smartphone application for AB report during seven consecutive days and completed three EMA monitoring periods (EMA-1, 2 and 3) at one-month intervals. After the third period (EMA-3), both EG and CG answered again the OBC (OBC-2). Descriptive statistics were performed to characterise the sample. Pearson's chi-squared test, Fixer Exact test and post hoc Z test with Bonferroni correction were performed. The study hypothesis was that EMA could influence the AB reported by the participants because it implies an increase in the awareness, self-recognition, and self-control of bruxism behaviours. The level of significance was set at p < .05. The percentage of participants who changed the report of the activity of clenching their teeth while awake between OBC-1 and OBC-2 was significantly higher among participants in EG, when compared to CG (p = .027). For all other behaviours reported the within- and between-group differences from OBC-1 to OBC-2 were not significant. Clenching and bracing were the most frequently reported, whilst grinding was the less frequent behaviour. A smartphone-based EMA approach demonstrated be useful to monitor AB over time, increasing individual's awareness, particularly to bracing and clenching behaviours.

Measuring the variability of personality traits with interval responses: Psychometric properties of the dual-range slider response format : Measuring variability with interval responses.

Measuring the variability in persons' behaviors and experiences using ecological momentary assessment is time-consuming and costly. We investigate whether interval responses provided through a dual-range slider (DRS) response format can be used as a simple and efficient alternative: Respondents indicate variability in their behavior in a retrospective rating by choosing a lower and an upper bound on a continuous, bounded scale. We investigate the psychometric properties of this response format as a prerequisite for further validation. First, we assess the test-retest reliability of factor-score estimates for the width of DRS intervals. Second, we test whether factor-score estimates of the visual analog scale (VAS) and the location of DRS intervals show convergent validity. Third, we investigate whether factor-score estimates for the DRS are uncorrelated between different personality scales. We present a longitudinal multitrait-multimethod study using two personality scales (Extraversion, Conscientiousness) and two response formats (VAS, DRS) at two measurement occasions (6-8weeks apart) for which we estimate factor-score correlations in a joint item response theory model. The test-retest reliability of the width of DRS intervals was high ( ). Also, convergent validity between location scores of VAS and DRS was high ( ). Conversely, discriminant validity of the width of DRS intervals between Extraversion and Conscientiousness was poor ( ). In conclusion, the DRS seems to be a reliable response format that could be used to measure the central tendency of a trait equivalently to the VAS. However, it might not be well suited for measuring intra-individual variability in personality traits.

An examination of state and trait urgency in individuals with binge-eating disorder.

Negative urgency (i.e., acting rashly when experiencing negative affect; NU), is a theorised maintenance factor in binge-eating type eating disorders. This study examined the association between trait NU and eating disorder severity, momentary changes in state NU surrounding episodes of binge eating, and the momentary mechanistic link between affect, rash action, and binge-eating risk. Participants were 112 individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED). Baseline measures included the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale to assess trait NU and the Eating Disorders Examination to assess binge-eating frequency and global eating disorder severity. Ecological momentary assessment captured real-time data on binge eating, negative affect, and state NU. Multiple regression analysis revealed a strong association between trait NU and eating disorder severity. Generalised estimating equations showed that state NU increased before and decreased after binge-eating episodes, and that this pattern was not moderated by trait-level NU. Finally, a multilevel structural equation model indicated that increases in rash action mediated the momentary relationship between states of high negative affect and episodes of binge eating. These findings underscore the importance of both trait and state NU in binge-eating type eating disorders, and suggest NU as a potential key target for intervention.

Picturing self-harm: Investigating flash-forward mental imagery as a proximal and modifiable driver of non-suicidal self-injury.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is theorized to be reinforced by its emotional consequences. Mental images of NSSI are commonly reported as occurring prior to NSSI. Based on the known functional properties of anticipatory mental imagery as an emotional and motivational amplifier, this study investigated whether NSSI mental imagery constitutes a proximal and dynamic mechanism underpinning NSSI risk. An intensive ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study was conducted to track the occurrence and characteristics of NSSI mental imagery alongside NSSI urge and behavior in naturalistic settings. A sample of N = 43 individuals aged 17 to 24 with a history of repetitive NSSI completed EMA surveys seven times a day for 14 days. Mental preoccupation in the form of NSSI mental imagery-based flash-forwards to the actions, bodily sensations, and emotional benefits of NSSI was found to occur when NSSI urge was high but not when urge was low. Critically, objective cross-panel analyses showed that higher frequencies of NSSI imagery occurrence predicted greater future NSSI urge and increased likelihood of acting on urge, over and above current urge. Mental imagery of NSSI is not simply an epiphenomenal by-product of NSSI urge and may constitute a dynamic and proximal novel intervention target.

Association of Daily Activities With Maternal-Child Bonding, Parenting Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Parenting Behaviors Among Survivors Living in an Intimate Partner Violence Shelter: A Daily Diary Study.

Following a traumatic event such as intimate partner violence (IPV), survivors often experience stress related to the violence. These high levels of stress related to IPV can be associated with the daily activities of survivors and their relationships with their children, such as maternal-child bonding. The purpose of the current study is to explore the relationship between daily activities, daily stress levels, parenting self-efficacy and behaviors, and maternal-child bonding among survivors living in an IPV shelter using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. Twenty-five mothers living in an IPV shelter in two states in the Southern United States completed a baseline survey and completed electronic daily diaries for 14 days. Higher daily stress was associated with the number of times the mothers met with the case manager. Higher daily stress was also related to lower parenting self-efficacy. The number of case management appointments and legal appointments were positively correlated with a higher bonding score. More social support was associated with more positive parenting. IPV and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were not significantly associated with maternal-child bonding, parenting behaviors, or parenting self-efficacy. Findings suggest that screening for maternal support may be particularly important for positive bonding and positive parenting. Findings also lend preliminary insight into practical places where service providers could act to protect the bonding process or mitigate risks to impede it. Future research should include objective data about the mother's emotions and her interactive behavior with her child. There is also a need to consider how federal programs fund and incentivize service providers to focus on mother-child dyads and how they can tailor services that promote bonding.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Weight Stigma and Eating Behavior in Everyday Life.

Weight stigma is widespread, but the existing literature on its harmful consequences remains largely limited to lab-based experiments and large-scale longitudinal designs. The purpose of this study was to understand how weight stigma unfolds in everyday life, and whether it predicts increased eating behavior. In this event-contingent ecological momentary assessment study, 91 participants reported every time they experienced weight stigma and documented whether they ate, how much they ate, and what they ate. These reports were compared against a timepoint when they did not experience stigma. Participants reported a wide variety of stigmatizing events from a variety of sources, with the most common ones being the self, strangers, the media, and family. Multilevel models showed that participants were no more likely to eat post-stigma (vs. the comparison point), but if they did eat, they ate more servings of food (on average consuming 1.45 more servings, or 45% more). Moderation analyses indicated that this effect was amplified for men versus women. Experiencing weight stigma appears to beget behavioral changes, potentially driving future weight gain, placing individuals at ever more risk for further stigmatization.

Indicated Stress Prevention Addressing Adolescents with High Stress Levels Based on Principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Stress affects many adolescents and is associated with physical and mental health symptoms that can have a negative impact on normative development. However, there are very few evidence-based, specific treatment approaches. The aim of the study was to investigate an eight-session group intervention using components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) enriched with elements of CBT (psychoeducation, problem solving) and art therapy, compared to a waitlist control (WLC) group, regarding its efficacy in reducing stress and associated symptoms. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in eight cohorts. Eligible participants were 13–18 years old with elevated stress levels. Via block-randomization (n = 70), participants were allocated to receive ACT (n = 38) or WLC (n = 32) and subsequent ACT. We used a multimodal assessment (self-reports, interviews, ecological momentary assessment, physiological markers) before treatment (T1), after the training of the ACT group (T2) and after subsequent training in the WLC group (T3). Primary outcome was perceived stress at T2 assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale. The trial was preregistered at the German Clinical Trials Register (ID: DRKS00012778). Results: Results showed significantly lower levels of perceived stress in the ACT group at T2, illustrating superiority of ACT compared to WLC with a medium to large effect size (d = 0.77). Furthermore, the training was effective in the reduction of symptoms of school burnout and physical symptoms associated with stress. Conclusion: Indicated prevention, especially when based on the principles of ACT and CBT, seems efficient in significantly decreasing stress in adolescents with increased stress.

Towards precision in the diagnostic profiling of patients: leveraging symptom dynamics as a clinical characterisation dimension in the assessment of major depressive disorder.

International guidelines present overall symptom severity as the key dimension for clinical characterisation of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, differences may reside within severity levels related to how symptoms interact in an individual patient, called symptom dynamics. To investigate these individual differences by estimating the proportion of patients that display differences in their symptom dynamics while sharing the same overall symptom severity. Participants with MDD (n = 73; mean age 34.6 years, s.d. = 13.1; 56.2% female) rated their baseline symptom severity using the Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report (IDS-SR). Momentary indicators for depressive symptoms were then collected through ecological momentary assessments five times per day for 28 days; 8395 observations were conducted (average per person: 115; s.d. = 16.8). Each participant's symptom dynamics were estimated using person-specific dynamic network models. Individual differences in these symptom relationship patterns in groups of participants sharing the same symptom severity levels were estimated using individual network invariance tests. Subsequently, the overall proportion of participants that displayed differential symptom dynamics while sharing the same symptom severity was calculated. A supplementary simulation study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of our methodology against false-positive results. Differential symptom dynamics were identified across 63.0% (95% bootstrapped CI 41.0-82.1) of participants within the same severity group. The average false detection of individual differences was 2.2%. The majority of participants within the same depressive symptom severity group displayed differential symptom dynamics. Examining symptom dynamics provides information about person-specific psychopathological expression beyond severity levels by revealing how symptoms aggravate each other over time. These results suggest that symptom dynamics may be a promising new dimension for clinical characterisation, warranting replication in independent samples. To inform personalised treatment planning, a next step concerns linking different symptom relationship patterns to treatment response and clinical course, including patterns related to spontaneous recovery and forms of disorder progression.

Psychological flexibility and cognitive-affective processes in young adults' daily lives.

Psychological flexibility plays a crucial role in how young adults adapt to their evolving cognitive and emotional landscapes. Our study investigated a core aspect of psychological flexibility in young adults: adaptive variability and maladaptive rigidity in the capacity for behavior change. We examined the interplay of these elements with cognitive-affective processes within a dynamic network, uncovering their manifestation in everyday life. Through an Ecological Momentary Assessment design, we collected intensive longitudinal data over 3weeks from 114 young adults ages 19 to 32. Using a dynamic network approach, we assessed the temporal dynamics and individual variability in flexibility in relation to cognitive-affective processes in this sample.Rigidity exhibited the strongest directed association with other variables in the temporal network as well as highest strength centrality, demonstrating particularly strong associations to other variables in the contemporaneous network. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that rigidity in young adults is associated with negative affect and cognitions at the same time point and the immediate future.

Psychological Pain as a Risk Factor for Suicidal Ideation: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on Inpatients With Depression With and Without Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder.

Psychological Pain as a Risk Factor for Suicidal Ideation: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on Inpatients With Depression With and Without Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder.

Daily and Momentary Associations Between Gender Minority Stress and Resilience With Alcohol Outcomes.

Minority stressors have been linked with alcohol use among transgender and gender diverse (TGD); however, no ecological momentary assessment studies have examined daily links between minority stress and alcohol use specifically among TGD. This study examined gender minority stressors and resilience as predictors of same-day or momentary alcohol-related outcomes. Feasibility and acceptability of procedures were evaluated. Twenty-five TGD adults (mean age = 32.60, SD = 10.82; 88% White) were recruited Canada-wide and participated remotely. They completed 21 days of ecological momentary assessment with daily morning and random surveys (assessing alcohol outcomes, risk processes, gender minority stressors, resilience), and an exit interview eliciting feedback. Gender minority stress had significant and positive within-person relationships with same-day alcohol use (incidence risk ratio (IRR) = 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.02, 1.23]), alcohol-related harms (IRR = 1.14, 95% CI [1.02, 1.28]), and coping motives (IRR = 1.06, 95% CI [1.03, 1.08]), as well as momentary (past 30-min) alcohol craving (IRR = 1.32, 95% CI [1.18, 1.47]), coping motives (IRR = 1.35, 95% CI [1.21, 1.51]), and negative affect (IRR = 1.28, 95% CI [1.20, 1.36]). Gender minority stress indirectly predicted same-day drinking via coping motives (ab = 0.04, 95% CI [0.02, 0.08]). Resilience was positively associated with same-day alcohol use (IRR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.03, 1.51]) but not harms. TGD adults may use alcohol to cope with gender minority stress, which can increase the risk for alcohol-related harms. Interventions are needed to eliminate gender minority stressors and support adaptive coping strategies.

Feasibility and acceptability of measuring prenatal stress in daily life using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and wearable physiological monitors.

High levels of stress during pregnancy can have lasting effects on maternal and offspring health, which disproportionately impacts families facing financial strain, systemic racism, and other forms of social oppression. Developing ways to monitor daily life stress during pregnancy is important for reducing stress-related health disparities. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of using mobile health (mHealth) technology (i.e., wearable biosensors, smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment) to measure prenatal stress in daily life. Fifty pregnant women (67% receiving public assistance; 70% Black, 6% Multiracial, 24% White) completed 10 days of ambulatory assessment, in which they answered smartphone-based surveys six times a day and wore a chest-band device (movisens EcgMove4) to monitor their heart rate, heart rate variability, and activity level. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated using behavioral meta-data and participant feedback. Findings supported the feasibility and acceptability of mHealth methods: Participants answered approximately 75% of the surveys per day and wore the device for approximately 10hours per day. Perceived burden was low. Notably, participants with higher reported stressors and financial strain reported lower burden associated with the protocol than participants with fewer life stressors, highlighting the feasibility of mHealth technology for monitoring prenatal stress among pregnant populations living with higher levels of contextual stressors. Findings support the use of mHealth technology to measure prenatal stress in real-world, daily life settings, which shows promise for informing scalable, technology-assisted interventions that may help to reduce health disparities by enabling more accessible and comprehensive care during pregnancy.

A Bluetooth-Based Smartphone App for Detecting Peer Proximity: Protocol for Evaluating Functionality and Validity.

While ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is commonly used to study social contexts and social influence in the real world, EMA almost exclusively relies on participant self-report of present circumstances, including the proximity to influential peers. There is the potential for developing a proximity sensing approach that uses small Bluetooth beacons and smartphone-based detection and data collection to collect information about interactions between individuals passively in real time. This paper aims to describe the methods for evaluating the functionality and validity of a Bluetooth-based beacon and a smartphone app to identify when ≥2 individuals are physically proximal. We will recruit 20 participants aged 18 to 29 years with Android smartphones to complete a 3-week study during which beacon detection and self-report data will be collected using a smartphone app (MEI Research). Using an interviewer-administered social network interview, participants will identify up to 3 peers of the same age who are influential on health behavior (alcohol use in this study). These peers will be asked to carry a Bluetooth beacon (Kontakt asset tag) for the duration of the study; each beacon has a unique ID that, when detected, will be recorded by the app on the participant's phone. Participants will be prompted to respond to EMA surveys (signal-contingent reports) when a peer beacon encounter meets our criteria and randomly 3 times daily (random reports) and every morning (morning reports) to collect information about the presence of peers. In all reports, the individualized list of peers will be presented to participants, followed by questions about peer and participant behavior, including alcohol use. Data from multiple app data sets, including beacon encounter specifications, notification, and app logs, participant EMA self-reports and postparticipation interviews, and peer surveys, will be used to evaluate project goals. We will examine the functionality of the technology, including the stability of the app (eg, app crashes and issues opening the app), beacon-to-app detection (ie, does the app detect proximal beacons?), and beacon encounter notification when encounter criteria are met. The validity of the technology will be defined as the concordance between passive detection of peers via beacon-to-app communication and the participant's EMA report of peer presence. Disagreement between the beacon and self-report data (ie, false negatives and false positives) will be investigated in multiple ways (ie, to determine if the reason was technology-related or participant compliance-related) using encounter data and information collected from participants and peers. Participant recruitment began in February 2023, and enrollment was completed in December 2023. Results will be reported in 2025. This Bluetooth-based technology has important applications and clinical implications for various health behaviors, including the potential for just-in-time adaptive interventions that target high-risk behavior in real time. DERR1-10.2196/50241.

Ecological momentary assessment of digital food and beverage marketing exposure and impact in young adults: A feasibility study

Unhealthy food marketing is contributing to the obesity epidemic, but real-time insights into the mechanisms of this relationship are under-studied. Digital marketing is growing and following food and beverage (F&B) brands on social media is common, but measurement of exposure and impact of such marketing presents novel challenges. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of collecting data on exposure and impact of digital F&B marketing (DFM) using a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. We hypothesized that DFM-induced food cravings would vary based on whether (or not) participants engaged with F&B brands online. Participants were Singapore residents (n = 95, 21–40 years), recruited via telephone from an existing cohort. Participants were asked to upload screenshots of all sightings of online F&B marketing messages for seven days, and answer in-app contextual questions about sightings including whether any cravings were induced. Participants provided a total of 1310 uploads (median 9 per participant, Q1-Q3: 4–21) of F&B marketing messages, 27% of which were provided on Day 1, significantly more than on other days (P < 0.001). Followers of food/beverage brands on social media encountered 25.6 percentage points (95% CI 11.4, 39.7) more marketing messages that induced cravings than participants who were not followers. University education was also associated with more (18.1 percentage points; 95% CI 3.1, 33.1) encounters with marketing messages that induced cravings. It was practical and acceptable to participants to gather insights into digital F&B marketing exposure and impact using EMA in young adults, although a shorter study period is recommended in future studies. Followers of food and beverage brands on social media appear to be more prone to experience cravings after exposure to digital F&B marketing.

Variances in Smoking Expectancies Predict Moment-to-Moment Smoking Behaviors in Everyday Life.

Many policy decisions about tobacco control are predicated on rational choice models, which posit (1) that smokers are aware of the risks of cigarettes and (2) that perceived risks have a consistent influence on continued smoking behavior. However, research shows that beliefs about smoking may be vulnerable to changes in internal and external contexts. Using ecological momentary assessment, we tested this by measuring how smokers' (N = 52) beliefs about smoking varied over time. Four times per day over 1week, participants responded to measures of smoking intentions, risk perceptions, mood and social outcome expectancies, and internal and external contextual factors. We analyzed this data using multilevel modeling, finding that both smoking intentions, risk perceptions, and expectancies differed between participants as well as between moments. Risk perceptions and mood expectancies were a significant predictor of intentions to smoke in the next 30min, illustrating the importance of these beliefs in decisional processes. This study was preregistered at the Open Science Foundation: https://osf.io/wmv3s/?view_only=71ad66d3ce3845fcb3bf2b9860d820c9 . Our analytic plan was not preregistered.

‘I crave not to feel uncomfortable’ – investigating craving for opioids and cannabis among individuals with chronic pain

Background The assessment of drug craving is common in survey studies, including those using real-time data collection methods, such as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). However, few studies investigate how participants with chronic pain interpret the word ‘craving’ and how interpretations impact survey responses. Methods We conducted a mixed-methods study among 12 individuals with chronic pain who were using prescription opioids and cannabis. Participants completed baseline surveys, cognitive interviews, and 14-day smartphone-based EMA data collection. Analyses included deductive and inductive coding of interviews and t-tests of EMA self-reports of opioid and cannabis craving. Results Four participants had negative reactions to the word ‘craving’, including mentions that these questions offended them. The remaining eight participants mentioned no negative connotation. EMA data showed that participants without negative reactions reported a greater range (opioids), higher standard deviation (opioids), and higher maximum (opioids, cannabis) on Likert-type EMA craving items, compared to those with a negative reaction. Conclusions Some individuals with chronic pain may have a negative reaction to the word ‘craving’ related to opioid and cannabis use and this reaction may impact survey responses. Alternative wording of survey items is recommended, for example focused on ‘wanting’ or ‘needing’.

Daily Associations Between Injunctive Drinking Norms and Alcohol Consumption.

Perception of others' approval of alcohol use (i.e., injunctive drinking norms) is strongly predictive of alcohol use, particularly among young adults (Krieger et al., 2016). While between-person injunctive norms predict alcohol use (Neighbors et al., 2008), there is evidence of within-person fluctuations in the relationship between norms and drinking (Graupensperger et al., 2021). The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to test within-person, day-level associations between injunctive norms and alcohol use, and to test whether social context moderated this association. Participants (n=83, M age=24.0, 50.9% female) completed a two-week EMA protocol using a smartphone application. Injunctive norms, social context (type and gender of companions), and number of drinks consumed were assessed each morning following a drinking event. Multilevel models with repeated measures nested within participants tested main effects and interactions of between- and within-person injunctive norms, type of drinking companions, and gender of drinking companions on number of drinks consumed. Day-level injunctive norms were positively associated with drinking quantity over and above baseline norms. The effect of norms differed by social context such that norms were only positively related to drinking quantity when drinking with a friend or romantic partner (vs. drinking alone). Gender of friends with whom participants drank did not moderate the effect of norms on quantity. This study provides one of the first examinations of daily fluctuations in injunctive drinking norms. As norms represent a malleable target for intervention (White et al., 2019), results offer new information regarding possible intervention targets.

Novel methods for the remote investigation of emerging substances: Application to kratom.

The botanical product commonly called "kratom" is still relatively novel to the United States. Like other natural products marketed as supplements, kratom is highly variable, both in terms of the alkaloids naturally occurring in kratom leaves and in terms of processing and formulation. Kratom products sold in the United States are not well-characterized, nor are daily use patterns among regular users. Surveys and case reports have comprised most of the literature on kratom use among humans. To advance our understanding of real-world kratom use, we developed a protocol for the remote study of regular kratom-using adults in the United States. Our study had three aspects implemented in one pool of participants nationwide: an in-depth online survey, 15 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via smartphone app, and the collection and assay of the kratom products used by participants during EMA. Here, we describe these methods, which can be used to investigate myriad drugs or supplements. Recruiting, screening, and data collection occurred between July 20, 2022 and October 18, 2022. During this time, we demonstrated that these methods, while challenging from a logistical and staffing standpoint, are feasible and can produce high-quality data. The study achieved high rates of enrollment, compliance, and completion. Substances that are emerging or novel, but still largely legal, can be productively studied via nationwide EMA combined with assays of shipped product samples from participants. We discuss challenges and lessons learned so other investigators can adapt these methods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of daily discrimination on naturalistic sleep health features in young adults.

Racial inequities in sleep health are well documented and may be partially attributable to discrimination experiences. However, the effects of acute discrimination experiences on same-night sleep health are understudied. We quantified naturalistic discrimination experiences captured using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and examined whether reporting discrimination on a given day predicted sleep health that night. Participants completed baseline assessments and a 17-day EMA protocol, with text prompts delivered four times daily to collect discrimination experiences. Seven different daily sleep characteristics were ascertained each morning. Discrimination reasons (e.g., because of my racial identity) were reported by participants and categorized into any, racial, or nonracial discrimination. Outcomes included the seven sleep diary characteristics. We fit generalized linear mixed effects models for each sleep outcome and discrimination category, controlling for key covariates. The analytic sample included 116 self-identified Black and White individuals (48% Black, 71% assigned female at birth, average age = 24.5 years). Among Black participants, race-based discrimination was associated with a 0.5-hr reduction in total sleep time (TST). Among White individuals, nonracial discrimination was associated with a 0.6-hr reduction in TST, an earlier sleep offset, and reduced sleep efficiency (partly attributable to more nighttime awakenings). Young adults may sleep worse on nights after experiencing discrimination, and different types of discrimination affect different sleep outcomes for Black and White individuals. Future studies may consider developing treatments that account for different sleep vulnerabilities for people experiencing discrimination on a given day. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).