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Objective/Background: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is generally associated with poor sleep but little is known about how different SES indices are associated with sleep duration and quality, or about these relations longitudinally or in cohabiting couples. The main objective was to examine longitudinal associations between multiple SES and sleep parameters in cohabiting adults. Participants: Participants were cohabiting couples (N = 135) of women (M age = 37.2 years, SD = 5.93; 76% White/European American, 18% Black/African American) and men (M = 39.9 years, SD = 7.33; 78% White, 18% Black). Methods: Men and women participated twice with a 1-year lag. At Time (T1), participants reported on multiple SES indices including their income, perceived economic well-being, education, employment status, and occupation. Sleep at T1 and T2 was assessed with self-reports and actigraphs (sleep duration from onset to wake time, %sleep from onset to wake, long wake episodes). Results: Actor effects on actigraphy-assessed sleep parameters were evident for both men and women; low SES was associated with shorter duration and poor quality (%sleep, long wake episodes) sleep. These associations were most pronounced for income-to-needs ratio (men and women) and perceived economic well-being (women only). Partner effects were also evident such that men's employment status was associated with women's longer sleep duration and greater sleep quality (%sleep) whereas women's employment predicted increased subjective sleep problems for men. Conclusion: Findings illustrate the need to consider multiple SES and sleep indices, as well as the family context in studies addressing linkages between SES and sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: A growing body of work indicates that experiences of neighborhood disadvantage place children at risk for poor sleep. This study aimed to examine how both neighborhood economic deprivation (a measure of poverty) and social fragmentation (an index of instability) are associated with objective measures of the length and quality of children’s sleep. Participants: Participants were 210 children (54.3% boys) living predominantly in small towns and semirural communities in Alabama. On average children were 11.3 years old (SD =.63); 66.7% of the children were European American and 33.3% were African American. The sample was socioeconomically diverse with 67.9% of the participants living at or below the poverty line and 32.1% from lower-middle-class or middle-class families. Methods: Indicators of neighborhood characteristics were derived from the 2012 American Community Survey and composited to create two variables representing neighborhood economic deprivation and social fragmentation. Child sleep period, actual sleep minutes, and efficiency were examined using actigraphy. Results: Higher levels of neighborhood economic deprivation were associated with fewer sleep minutes and poorer sleep efficiency. More neighborhood social fragmentation was also linked with poorer sleep efficiency. Analyses controlled for demographic characteristics, child health, and family socioeconomic status. Conclusions: Findings indicate that living in economically and socially disadvantaged neighborhoods predicts risk for shorter and lower-quality sleep in children. Examination of community context in addition to family and individual characteristics may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping child sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]