"Just Part of Aging?" Sleep-Problem Normalization, Sleep-Related Worry, Help-Seeking, and Emotional Distress Among Chinese Older Adults

Abstract

Many older adults experience poor sleep but do not always view it as a problem requiring help. This thesis examines sleep-problem normalization (SPN), defined as the belief that poor sleep is an expected or less serious part of aging. Although sleep-related cognitions and views of aging have been studied separately, less is known about sleep-specific age-related symptom normalization, namely the tendency to interpret poor sleep as an expected, less serious, or less actionable part of aging. The project asks whether SPN has a double-edged role: it may reduce perceived need for help and sleep-related help-seeking intention, while also shaping sleep-related worry and emotional distress. Using a sequential exploratory design, Study 1 will interview Chinese older adults to clarify how they explain poor sleep and what normalization means in everyday language. Study 2 will use a questionnaire study to examine whether SPN is associated with perceived need, help-seeking intention, sleep-related worry, depression, and anxiety after accounting for insomnia severity and relevant covariates. By linking views of aging with sleep cognition and help-seeking, this thesis aims to clarify when normalizing poor sleep may be emotionally protective and when it may delay appropriate support.