# Racial Differences in Developmental and Daily Sleep-Alcohol Associations in Youth

> **NIH NIH R01** · SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $341,949

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Striking parallels exist in alcohol use/consequences and sleep deficiency among youth. That is, both alcohol
use/consequences and sleep deficiency are highly prevalent in youth, and racial minority youth are
disproportionately burdened with sleep deficits and alcohol use/consequences. Further, sleep deficiencies and
alcohol use/consequences frequently co-occur in youth. Prospective research consistently indicates sleep
deficiency predicts subsequent alcohol use/consequences. While findings for the prospective effect of alcohol
use/consequences on subsequent sleep deficiency are less consistent in youth, alcohol administration studies
have shown that alcohol use leads to subsequent sleep deficits among late adolescent and young adult
drinkers. These bi-directional sleep-alcohol associations have significant implications such that sleep
deficiency and alcohol use/consequences feed into each other in a vicious downward cycle by which they
exacerbate over time. However, what is yet to be tested is (a) whether sleep-alcohol prospective associations
differ across racial groups and (b) if so, what racially-specific mechanisms underlie the bi-directional sleep-
alcohol associations in youth. This proposed study seeks to address the troubling racial disparities in the co-
occurrence of the two prevalent and serious public health problems in American youth. The drastic initiation
and escalation in alcohol use/consequences along with sleep deficiencies occurring in mid-adolescence make
it an optimal developmental period to characterize risk processes involving alcohol use/consequences and
sleep deficiencies over time. Specifically, we aim to test (1) racial differences in the prospective bi-directional
sleep-alcohol associations over time, and (2) racial differences in a theory-based risk pathway linking sleep
deficiency and alcohol use/consequences, which involves long-term and short-term social adversity exposures
and subsequent stress-coping responses. Achievement of this proposed study's aims will enhance knowledge
about the mechanisms underlying sleep-alcohol disparities during the critical developmental period of
adolescence. This knowledge will also inform targeted, racially-sensitive prevention and treatment strategies to
curtail sleep-alcohol problems among racial minority youth. Ultimately, these targeted and racially-sensitive
prevention/treatment endeavors will contribute to reducing health disparities among racially minority youth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9996444
- **Project number:** 5R01AA027677-02
- **Recipient organization:** SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Aesoon Park
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $341,949
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-15 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9996444

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9996444, Racial Differences in Developmental and Daily Sleep-Alcohol Associations in Youth (5R01AA027677-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9996444. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*