Disparities in sleep duration among discordant heterosexual adolescents

Abstract

Sexual minority adolescents have worse sleep health than their peers. Adolescents who identify as heterosexual and report prior same-sex sexual contact (termed ‘discordant heterosexuals’) have elevated health risks, but little is known about this group’s sleep health. This study examined 2015–2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (n = 12,773 high school students) comparing discordant heterosexuals to their concordant (i.e. sexual identity is concordant with reported sex of sexual contact) heterosexual, bisexual, gay and lesbian peers on three sleep outcomes: sufficient (≥8 hours), short (≤6 hours) and extremely limited sleep (≤4 hours). Both discordant heterosexual (aOR:0.64, 95% CI:0.47, 0.86) and bisexual students (aOR:0.69, CI:0.56, 0.85) had lower odds of sufficient sleep compared to concordant heterosexuals, even after adjustment for demographic factors and substance use. Discordant heterosexual (aOR:1.29, CI:1.01, 1.66) and bisexual (aOR:1.74, CI:1.54, 1.98) students have higher odds of short sleep. Discordant heterosexual (aOR:1.94, CI:1.36, 2.77) and bisexual students (aOR:2.72, CI:2.23, 3.31) also had higher odds of extremely limited sleep. Victimization may partially explain some of these associations. Sleep health is one factor that may drive health disparities, and efforts to ensure that adolescents are safe and secure in sexual behavior and identity is important to reducing these disparities.

Keywords:

• Students secondary < students
• adolescents
• victimization
• United States
• identity development

Acknowledgements

Noah T. Kreski, MPH would like to acknowledge the tireless feedback and support of their queer-identified peers and loved ones.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

National YRBS Data are available at the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention Adolescent and School Health Section website [https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/data.htm]

Notes on contributor

Noah T. Kreski, MPH: Noah T. Kreski is a data analyst at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Their research interests include adolescent psychiatric epidemiology, including the role of technology and social media in adolescent depression, as well as the psychosocial and sexual health of sexual minority populations.

Katherine M. Keyes, PhD: Katherine M. Keyes is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Katherine’s research focuses on life course epidemiology with particular attention to adolescent psychiatric disorders and substance use, and includes examination of fetal to adult origins of child and adult health, long-term outcomes of adverse childhood environments, and cross-generational cohort effects on substance use, mental health, and chronic disease.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was not supported by any pertinent funding.