Sleep disturbances among older adults from the Russian Far East experiencing social loss: is there a sex difference?

BACKGROUND

Maintaining sleep health in the elderly is of great significance for promoting health equity. The elderly usually experience more social losses, which may lead to many health problems. Few studies have revealed the relationship between social losses and sleep disturbance in the elderly. This study aims to investigate the relationship between social losses and sleep disturbance in the elderly in Russia, and further explore whether the buffering effect of social interaction on relationships has sex differences.

METHODS

A total of 331 elderly participants from Vladivostok, Russia, were analyzed. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the factors associated with sleep disturbances. Based on participants' social loss and social interaction, participants were divided into four groups: (i) no social loss + social interaction, (ii) no social loss + no social interaction, (iii) social loss + social interaction, and (iv) social loss + no social interaction. Binary logistic regression was also conducted to examine the interaction between social loss and social interaction on sex-stratified sleep disturbances.

RESULTS

Social loss among older Russian adults was associated with sleep disturbance in both males and females in the sample collected in this study. Female participants who engage in social interaction showed a significant reduction in the risk of sleep disturbances when experiencing social loss. However, no significant association was observed between social interaction and sleep disturbances among male experiencing social loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings emphasize that social loss is a risk factor for sleep disturbances, while social interaction serves as a buffering factor for sleep disturbances in elderly females experiencing social loss. This suggests that providing targeted support for elderly individuals of different sexes who have experienced social loss may be an equitable and effective approach to improving sleep health among the elderly in the Russia Far East.