DOES COPING STRATEGY PROTECT SLEEP QUALITY DURING COVID-19? AN EXAMINATION OF RACIAL, ETHNIC, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Abstract Introduction Little has been done to examine within/between group predictors and mediators of race/ethnic differences in sleep health outcomes, due to COVID-19 exposure. We evaluated the effect of COVID-19 exposure on sleep quality in a multiracial/ethnic sample of New York residents. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among adults exposed to COVID-19 across New York State from September to November of 2020. Comparisons of participant characteristics e.g., mean scores by race/ethnicity status were made using one-way ANOVA for continuous variables, and chi-square tests for categorical variables. Associations between social determinants of health (employment, location), Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy (CES-T), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-PSQI) were examined using multilinear regression analysis stratified by race/ethnicity. Results Of the 541 participants, 373 (68.9%) were female; mean age was 40.9 years (SD=15), 198 (36.6%) identified as Whites, 111 (20.5%) as Black, 97 (17.9%) as Hispanics, and 135(25%) identified as either Asians, Native-Americans, Pacific-Islanders. Sex was the strongest predictor [β = 1.335; p < .05] of sleep quality, but only among Whites. Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy was negatively associated with sleep quality among Asian, Native-American, or Pacific-Islander participants [β = -.114; p < .05 ]; Black [β = -.099; p < .05] and White participants [β = -0.79; p < .05] but not among Latinos/as [β = -.058; p = 0.71]. Conclusion Coping Self-Efficacy moderated the effect of COVID-19 on sleep quality among some, but not all, racial/ethnic groups. While CSE-T scores during the first wave of COVID-19 acted as a protective factor for sleep quality among Asians, Native-Americans, and Pacific-Islanders, White and Black participants, this was not the case for Latinos/as/Hispanics residing in New York. Clinical interventions that are tailored for racial/ethnic, community and cultural needs may help to mitigate sleep problems associated with COVID-19 exposure. Support (If Any) T32HL129953; 7R01HL142066-04; 1R01HL152453-01