0912 The Association Between Somatization and Sleep

Abstract Introduction Somatization, the experience of having somatic symptoms (e.g., pain, fatigue, dizziness) with resultant psychological distress, has been described among working adults and contributes to work-related absences. Whether somatization affects employees’ sleep quality and sleep duration is unclear. We examined the association of somatization with sleep quality and duration. Methods Data came from the 4th wave of the multi-site Worksite Blood Pressure Study, which assessed psychological factors and ambulatory blood pressure. A total of 472 participants without major cardiovascular disease from 10 worksites in NYC were recruited across 4 waves and ~11 years. At Wave 4, participants completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and a sleep questionnaire derived from the Sleep Heart Health Study. Items from the BSI were averaged and T-scored (normed to mean=50, SD=10). Items assessing sleep quality were averaged (higher scores indicated worse sleep quality). Weekday sleep duration was also reported using a one-time sleep diary. Analyses were restricted to participants providing complete data (N= 238). Linear regression models were specified predicting (1) sleep quality and, separately (2) sleep duration from somatization. Covariates were age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, marital status, years of education, family income, employment status, and average work hours per week. Results Of the 238 participants, 79.8% were male, 11.8% were Black, 5.9% were Hispanic/Latinx, and 76.5% were married. Median family income was $70,000-$79,999. Mean age was 52.4 years (SD=8.1), mean years of education was 17.9 (SD=3.1), mean body mass index was 27.9 kg/m2 (SD=3.8), and mean hours worked per week (among those currently employed; n=191) was 42.0 (SD=10.9). Mean somatization score was 49.5 (SD=9.3), mean sleep quality was 8.4 (SD=4.3), and mean sleep duration was 6.5 hours/night (SD=1.1). Higher somatization scores were significantly associated with worse sleep quality, B=0.15, 95% CI 0.09, 0.20, p< 0.001. The association of somatization with sleep duration was not significant, B= 0.01, 95% CI -0.00, 0.02, p=0.18. Conclusion There was an association between somatization and sleep quality but not with sleep duration. Future research should examine whether treatment modalities for somatization among working adults improve sleep quality and overall occupational health. Support (if any) P01HL47540, NIH/NHLBI K23HL141682