Social Experiences and Sleep Study (SASE)

The Effects of Social Experiences on Sleep and Cardiovascular Functioning

This study will test the effect of race-based social rejection on polysomnography derived sleep outcomes and nocturnal cardiovascular psychophysiology in a sample of 80 African Americans and 80 Caucasian Americans. The investigators will test group differences on these outcomes as well as within subjects by testing impact of rejection compared to a non-rejection control night in the sleep laboratory.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sleep; Blood Pressure
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Social rejection

Detailed Description

African Americans (AA) are disproportionally burdened by cardiovascular disease compared to Caucasian Americans (CA). Poor sleep, which is more common among AA, may serve as an important pathway in understanding these disparities. Race-based rejection has been cross-sectionally related to poor sleep and negative cardiovascular outcomes. To test the links between social experiences and sleep, participants will spend two nights in the sleep laboratory. One night will be a control night where participants complete low arousal tasks prior to bedtime. On a second night, the investigators will randomize 80 AA and 80 CA to either race-based social rejection (i.e., being rejected by an out-group member) or same-race social rejection prior to bedtime to test the causal influences of race-based rejection on objective sleep parameters, measured using polysomnography, and nocturnal cardiovascular functioning. The investigators will test group differences on these outcomes as well as within subjects by testing impact of rejection compared to a non-rejection control night in the sleep laboratory. The order of the control and rejection task night will be counterbalanced.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 139
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Francisco, California, United States, 94118
      • University of California, San Francisco

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 64 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age: 18 to 64 years old
• Self-identified as African American/Black or Caucasian American/White
• English speaking, able to provide consent
• Self-reported bedtime between 10PM and 12AM for 5/7 nights for the past 3 months (stability to be confirmed by sleep diary and wrist actigraphy).
• Self-reported sleep duration between 6.5 and 8.5 hours for 5/7 nights for the last month (duration to be confirmed by actigraphy and sleep diary)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Body mass index of 40 or above
• Participants at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea, based on "high risk" score from the STOP-Bang.
• Medical or psychiatric condition, as assessed by self-report and clinical interview that affect sleep and/or cardiovascular functioning, including doctor diagnosed arrhythmia, hypertension, congestive heart failure, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Medication use that is likely to affect sleep and/or cardiovascular functioning, including antidepressants, anxiolytic or soporific medication, and beta-blockers.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Social rejection by in-group; One hour prior to bed, participants will be exposed to a social rejection paradigm that includes a computerized ball-tossing game (Cyberball) and a speech task. Participants are made to believe that they are being rejected by someone of their own race/ethnicity (e.g., African American rejected by another African American).	Behavioral: Social rejection; Social rejection paradigm
Experimental: Social rejection by out-group; One hour prior to bed, participants will be exposed to a social rejection paradigm that includes a computerized ball-tossing game (Cyberball) and a speech task. Participants are made to believe that they are being rejected by someone not of their own race/ethnicity (e.g., Caucasian American rejected by another African American).	Behavioral: Social rejection; Social rejection paradigm

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in sleep onset latency, as determined by polysomnography	Sleep onset latency is the time (in minutes) from "lights out" to sleep onset on the nights following the social rejection task and the control task laboratory to onset of sleep, as measured via polysomnography	Assessed on the night of the social rejection task and compared to the control task night; it is anticipated that these nights will take place consecutively

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in minutes of wake after sleep onset (WASO), as determined by polysomnography	Number of minutes awake once sleep is initiated, measured via polysomnography on the nights following the social rejection task and the control task	Assessed on the night of the social rejection task and the night of the control task; it is anticipated that these nights will take place consecutively
Change in total sleep time, as determined by polysomnography	Total number of minutes scored as sleep, measured via polysomnography on the nights following the social rejection task and the control task	Assessed on the night of the social rejection task and the night of the control task; it is anticipated that these nights will take place consecutively
Change in pre-ejection period (PEP) in response to rejection task	Pre-ejection period is measured via impedance cardiography, averaged over a 5-minute baseline period and in the minutes during the rejection task	Baseline to Post-rejection task, anticipated average of 30 minutes
Change in heart rate variability (HRV) in response to rejection task	Heart rate variability is measured via EKG, averaged over a 5-minute baseline period and in the minutes during the rejection task	Baseline to Post-rejection task, anticipated average of 30 minutes
Change in nocturnal heart rate variability	Heart rate variability is measured via EKG, beginning at "lights out" and collected across the night following the rejection task and control task; it is anticipated that the two nights will occur consecutively.	Assessed on the night of the social rejection task and the night of the control task; it is anticipated that these nights will take place consecutively
Change in nocturnal pre-ejection period	Pre-ejection period will be measured by impedance cardiography, beginning at "lights out" and collected across the night following the rejection task and control task; it is anticipated that the two nights will occur consecutively.	Assessed on the night of the social rejection task and the night of the control task; it is anticipated that the two nights will occur consecutively

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aric A Prather, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 9, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 15, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 6, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: sleep; stress; heart
• Other Study ID Numbers: 18-24889; R01HL142051 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Our plan is to make all processed data available at the conclusion of the study in line with NIH guidelines
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: All processed data should be available within 5 years of completion of the study
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Consistent with NIH guidelines
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No