The Effect of Migration on Perceived Safety and Sleep Quality: An Analysis From Rural and Urban Indigenous Wixárika Communities in Jalisco, Mexico

OBJECTIVES: This study explores how perceived safety influences sleep quality among Wixárika individuals in Mexico. We compared the sleep quality of those living in a rural town in northern Jalisco with those living in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA). We aimed to assess differences in perceived safety, model its association with sleep outcomes, and test for gendered effects. METHODS: Sleep was measured using actigraphy and surveys. Perceived neighborhood safety (PNS) was measured with survey items. Sleep outcomes included efficiency, fragmentation, wake after sleep onset (WASO), self-rated quality, and daytime dysfunction. Analyses used Mann-Whitney U tests, linear mixed effects models, and logistic regression. RESULTS: Our sample included 127 participants. In the rural location (n = 61), the mean age was 38.02 years (SD = 12.18, range = 18-65), with 72.13% comprised of women. In the GMA, the mean age was 29.59 years (SD = 8.43, range = 18-57), of whom 65.15% were women. PNS was significantly higher in the rural town than in the GMA. Gender moderated the association between PNS and sleep quality, with women showing improved sleep quality with greater PNS. Poorer mental health predicted lower sleep quality in rural participants and greater odds of daytime dysfunction in urban participants. CONCLUSIONS: In our analyses, living in urban contexts is associated with reduced perceived safety, which interacts with gender to shape sleep. Women's sleep appears to be particularly sensitive to perceived safety, reflecting broader intersecting vulnerabilities and health inequities faced by Indigenous migrant women. Policies addressing housing and neighborhood safety, alongside culturally grounded supports, may improve sleep health in these communities.