The Effects of Racial Discrimination on Hours of Sleep and Sleep Dissatisfaction: Examining the Moderating Role of Social Media and Television Use among Students of Color

Authors

Mehwish Safdar, Virginia Commonwealth University
Karen Saint Fleur, Virginia Commonwealth University
Arlenis Santana, Virginia Commonwealth University
Chelsea Williams PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University
The Spit4Science Working Group
Danielle Dick PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University

Document Type

Presentation

Original Publication Date

2022

Date of Submission

January 2025

Abstract

Racial discrimination negatively affects psychological and emotional well-being of individuals (e.g., depression, suicide risk, and anger) Chao et al., 2012). Discrimination may also act as a stressor that disrupts sleep quality (Hale & Do, 2007). Additionally, studies have found an association between social media and TV usage on sleep. High social media usage increases the risk of poor sleep (Gündoğmuş, et al., 2019). Extensive TV viewing is associated with elevated amounts of sleep problems (Brunborg et al., 2011; Johnson et al., 2004; Vallance et al., 2015). There is limited work on the moderating effect of social media and TV usage on sleep outcomes in individuals experiencing discrimination. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by investigating if social media and TV usage play a role in the effects of discrimination on sleep quality and dissatisfaction. The current study included 464 students of color (82.3% female; Mage = 19.93, SD = .34). Results indicated that social media and TV use played a significant moderating role on sleep quality in individuals experiencing high levels of discrimination. Limitations and implications are further discussed.

Rights

© The Author(s)

Is Part Of

Spit for Science Publications and Presentations