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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-5351-0878
Date Available
7-1-2028
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Psychology
Faculty
Lauren N. Whitehurst
Faculty
Christopher Marshburn
Faculty
Michael Bardo
Abstract
Sleep is integral to a healthy life, yet it is often neglected, underprioritized, and hindered by significant barriers. Black Americans are among the most severely impacted by sleep loss, which contributes to persistent and pervasive health disparities. Yet, the mechanisms sustaining racial inequities are not well understood. The goal of this dissertation is to assess how racialization becomes contextualized as persistent sleep disparities for Black adults. We assessed associations between daily, individual-level factors and structural, neighborhood-level factors to understand the embodiment of racialization through sleep insufficiency as well as the consequences for psychological well-being. Black adults were recruited (N=42, mean age 42, 76% female) to participate in a two-week study that captured up to six nights of objective sleep recordings (i.e., polysomnography), and daily reporting of subjective stress, sleep, and well-being, which were paired with census-block objective neighborhood characteristics. In Chapter One, we provide motivation and rationale to consider sleep insufficiency as a maladaptive response to systemic inequity. In Chapter Two, we systematically test evidence to support a theory of sleep maladaptation. Chapter Three investigates the compounded effects of daily stress exposures, nightly sleep features, and structural disadvantage on the affective experience linked to the anticipation of prospective events. In the final chapter, we reflect on the critical contributions of this work, including the importance of contextualizing the relationship between stress and sleep. We also acknowledge the translation of this work derived from a widely used in-laboratory approach into a real-world application that advances how these factors interact in naturalistic settings.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.340
Archival?
Archival
Funding Information
Funding was provided by the United in True Racial Equity Research
Priority Area at the University of Kentucky, 2022
Recommended Citation
Silva-Jones, Jillian Rae, "STRESSED, SLEEPY, AND SICK: THE PLIGHT OF BLACK RACIALIZATION THROUGH STRESS, STRUCTURAL DISADVANTAGE, AND SLEEP INSUFFICIENCIES" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Psychology. 309.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/309
