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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1475097
This article is part of the Research Topic Long-term effects of adolescent stress, sleep deprivation, or circadian disruption on mood and anxiety View all 5 articles

Sleep Disturbance and Social Reward Processing as Characteristics Linking Minority Victimization and Suicidal Ideation in Youth

Provisionally accepted
T. H. Stanley Seah T. H. Stanley Seah 1*Kristen L. Eckstrand Kristen L. Eckstrand 1Tina Gupta Tina Gupta 1Lily C. Jensen Lily C. Jensen 2Zachary M. Brodnick Zachary M. Brodnick 1Chloe M. Horter Chloe M. Horter 1Alice M. Gregory Alice M. Gregory 3Peter L. Franzen Peter L. Franzen 1Michael P. Marshal Michael P. Marshal 1Erika E. Forbes Erika E. Forbes 1
  • 1 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
  • 2 Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
  • 3 Goldsmiths University of London, London, London, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Adolescence is characterized by heightened sleep disturbances (e.g., poor sleep quality and irregular/insufficient sleep) and sensitivity to social feedback that may exacerbate suicidal ideation (SI). Victimization experiences (e.g., bullying, humiliation) can contribute to sleep disturbances and SI, particularly among minority youth (e.g., sexual/gender, racial/ethnic minorities). However, sensitivity to social reward, despite social challenges, may buffer against the effects of victimization on sleep and SI. In a diverse sample of youth at varying suicide risk, we examined sleep disturbance as a mediator of victimization and SI, and if neural response to social reward moderated the link between victimization and sleep disturbance. 98 youth (14-22 years old; 50% sexual and/or racial/ethnic minority) with varying SI severity provided self-report data on past-six-month identity-related victimization, past-week sleep disturbance, and pastmonth SI. 74 youth completed an fMRI task involving receipt of social feedback. Region-ofinterest analyses examined ventral striatum (VS) activity during positive feedback. Mediation and moderation effects were examined using linear regressions. Sleep disturbance mediated the association between identity-related victimization and SI: higher victimization was associated with worse sleep disturbance, predicting more severe SI. Moderation analyses revealed a positive association between victimization and sleep disturbance at lower but not higher levels of VS response to social reward. Sleep disturbance occurring in the context of social stress heightens vulnerability for SI, particularly among minority youth. Greater neural sensitivity to social reward buffers against the effects of victimization on sleep, with implications for mitigating SI. Findings suggest potential mechanisms and individual difference factors underlying minority health disparities.

    Keywords: adolescence, Sleep, social stress, Suicide, social reward, Neuroimaging

    Received: 02 Aug 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Seah, Eckstrand, Gupta, Jensen, Brodnick, Horter, Gregory, Franzen, Marshal and Forbes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: T. H. Stanley Seah, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States

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