Daily Associations Between Ethnic and Racial Discrimination and Sleep Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents

OBJECTIVES: Ethnic and racial discrimination stress is a key social determinant of sleep health, yet its day-to-day influence on Mexican-origin adolescents remains underexplored. This study focused on Mexican-origin adolescents and examined the negative effects of daily ethnic and racial discrimination stress on sleep. METHOD: 1.11; range = 12-16 years old) residing in a suburban area in the United States Midwest. Using multi-level models that disentangle between- and within-person effects, this study assessed daily ethnic and racial discrimination stress and self-reported same-night sleep using a 21-day daily report method. Daily sleep indicators included nighttime duration, onset latency, and quality. RESULTS: On days when adolescents reported higher levels of discrimination stress, they also reported longer sleep onset latency. At the between-person level, youth who reported higher levels of discrimination stress reported poorer sleep quality. Possible reciprocal dynamics between stress and sleep were tested. Results showed that at the within-person level, sleep behaviors were not associated with next-day racial discrimination. At the between-person level, adolescents who reported higher sleep quality or longer sleep duration the prior night also reported lower levels of next-day discrimination, suggesting that sleep disturbances may be associated with stress experiences. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of targeted support for Mexican-origin adolescents' sleep health especially on days when they experience ethnic and racial discrimination.