Closing the Gap in Sleep Health Equity: Assessing a Digital Sleep Intervention for Young People with and without Structural Sleep Barriers

Objectives: Sleep problems are linked to negative mental health outcomes, both of which rise in prevalence during adolescence and young adulthood. Existing evidence-based sleep treatments are effective but remain largely inaccessible for this age group. Young people also have lower agency over structural barriers affecting sleep (e.g., home environment, school start times).Methods: Project Sleep is a digital single-session intervention (SSI) designed with feedback from young people. Participants were aged 13-25 with self-reported sleep problems (N=759, Mage=18.7; 48% white, 81% girls, 38% LGBTQ+). Structural sleep barriers were reported by 45%: uncomfortable temperature (20%), exceess noise (17%), shared rooms (13%), excess light (10%), nighttime workers in the home (7%), unstable living conditions (2%). Participants rated perceived importance of sleep and making a change to sleep, readiness for change, and perceived control over sleep pre- and post-SSI. Moderation models assessed whether structural factors influenced outcomes. T-tests and correlations tested whether participants’ feedback differed by structural barriers. Benjamini-Hochberg correction was used to adjust for multiple comparisons.Results: After adjusting for multiple comparisons, those experiencing structural barriers improved similarly to peers on all pre/post-SSI change metrics (corrected ps > .05). There were also no differences in participants’ feedback about their experience of the SSI by structural barrier (ps > .05).Conclusions: This brief, accessible SSI provides proximal support for youth with structural sleep barriers. However, areas that could benefit from continued adaption are discussed. Future research will work with young people experiencing structural sleep barriers to best address their needs.