Who Sleeps Best?: Examining Main Effects of Living Arrangement, First-generation Status, and Race/Ethnicity on Sleep and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Faculty Sponsor: Professor Royette Dubar, Ph.D.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Amanda Arroyo
Amanda Arroyo

Amanda Arroyo is a sophomore (’25) majoring in Psychology and Government at Wesleyan University. She is part of the Sleep and Psychosocial Adjustment (S.P.A.) Lab on campus and is interested in how changes in physical or social environment influence people’s behavior and overall well-being. At Wesleyan, she is also the International Column Leader for the Arcadia Political Review and works as a Student Ambassador at the Financial Aid Office. After university, Amanda hopes to continue pursuing her interest in the psychology of political behavior.

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Calvin Gao
Calvin Gao

Calvin Gao is a Senior (‘23) from Brooklyn, NY as part of the Sleep and Psychosocial Adjustment (S.P.A.) Lab. Calvin has interests in reading light novels and fiction novels during his spare time. On campus, he is a House Manager for International and Open House while majoring in Economics and Psychology with Applied Data Science. Calvin can often be found around the Quantitative Analysis Center (QAC) and upon graduation, Calvin hopes to continue within the field of data and research.

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Abstract:

Several studies have found that individuals from socio-demographic groups in the U.S. have been disproportionately impacted by negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a need to examine the role of university-related contextual factors that may be linked to two important health behaviors among university students – sleep and anxiety symptoms. This research project examined differences in sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, based on changes in living arrangement due to COVID, first-generation status, and racial/ethnic identity. Participants (65.5% female) were N = 619 emerging adults across the U.S., who were enrolled at university (Mean age = 21.8, SD = 2.2). Participants completed an online survey, that asked questions about socio-demographics, sleep patterns, and psychological well-being. Analyses were based on independent sample t-tests. Results showed significant main effects of living situation for sleep duration and anxiety symptoms; significant main effects of first-generation status for sleep duration and insomnia symptoms; as well as a significant main effect of race/ethnicity on insomnia symptoms. Future research should evaluate the role that universities play in the expansion of resources provided to underrepresented groups, like first-generation and racial/ethnic minority students, to improve the overall well-being of the student population.

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