0124 Loneliness Predicts Pre-Sleep Arousal in a Community-Based Sample of Mid-Life Adults

Abstract Introduction Mounting evidence suggests loneliness is associated with poor health outcomes, including poor sleep. Loneliness is hypothesized to trigger implicit vigilance for social threats, potentially contributing to disrupted sleep through psychological, physiological and behavioral processes. Prior work examining pre-sleep arousal (PSA) and loneliness has primarily utilized samples of emerging adults. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine associations between loneliness and sleep diary-based assessments of PSA in a community-based sample of mid-life adults. Methods A sample of midlife adults living in the deep south (N=104; Age=51.05±8.50; Female=76.9%) completed demographic measures, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale at a baseline assessment. PSA was assessed with the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale over seven days with daily sleep diaries. The cognitive and somatic subscales, along with a combined cognitive and somatic PSA total score were averaged across seven days. Natural log transformations were used to address non-normality of PSA variables. Bivariate correlations were conducted to test associations between loneliness and PSA. Follow-up multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the associations between loneliness and PSA, while accounting for age and sex. Results Bivariate correlations revealed a significant positive association between loneliness and PSA. Specifically, loneliness was significantly positively associated with somatic (p>.05), cognitive (p>.001), and total PSA (p>.001). Follow up regression analyses accounting for age and sex revealed a significant positive association between loneliness and total PSA (b=.006, β=.296, t=3.172, p>.05, R2=.151). Further, loneliness was significantly positively associated with both cognitive (b=.008, β=.310, t=3.318, p>.05, R2=.153) and somatic (b=.004, β=.221, t=2.326, p>.05, R2=.120) PSA. Conclusion Findings suggested that loneliness was associated with PSA. Specifically, loneliness was associated with cognitive, somatic, and total PSA averaged across seven days of daily sleep diaries. These findings expand upon prior research examining the association between loneliness and poor sleep and highlight the pre-sleep period as a modifiable intervention target. Support (if any) Support was provided by the Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) P30 AG0301054 from the NIA.