Anxiety Sensitivity and Sleep Problems among Homeless Adults

Abstract

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a transdiagnostic individual difference factor, reflecting amplified fear about the negative consequences of anxiety-related autonomic arousal. AS has been linked to sleep problems and serious mental/physical health conditions in the domiciled population. No previous research has examined how AS affects sleep among homeless adults who are vulnerable to health disparities and living in harsh environments that may, by their nature, compromise sleep integrity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between AS and sleep-related problems among homeless adults. AS was significantly associated with more days of inadequate sleep (p < 0.001), fewer hours of sleep per day (p < 0.01), unintentionally falling asleep (p ≤ 0.01) in this convenience sample of predominately male homeless adults. See Tables 1 and 2. Results suggest that AS may be a risk factor conferring additional vulnerability to sleep- related problems among homeless adults. This project was completed with contributions from Michael S. Businelle from the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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