Is Insomnia a Western-centered disorder? A cross-cultural study of sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration
Abstract
Insomnia disorder (ID) is highly prevalent in industrialized societies, yet it is primarily conceptualized and treated at the individual level, with limited consideration of sociocultural influences. This cross-sectional, cross cultural study investigated subjective sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration across groups differing in lifestyle, scale and degree of industrialization. A total of 1,389 adults from seven countries completed measures of sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration. Healthy participants included 37 individuals from the Hadza hunter-gatherer group in Tanzania (small-scale, non-industrialized group), 447 individuals from rural regions of Madagascar, Guatemala, and South Africa (mixed-scale groups) and 833 participants from large-scale, industrialized groups (United States and Mexico, large-scale). A separate clinical sample of 72 Swiss patients suffering from ID was included. Logistic regressions and Bayesian analyses were conducted on two dichotomous outcomes: sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration (<6 h vs. ≥6 h). Participants from the Hadza group showed a significantly higher probability of being satisfied with their sleep than participants from large scale groups and patients with ID. All non-clinical groups reported greater sleep satisfaction than the ID group. In contrast, no significant differences in perceived sleep duration were observed across groups. Sleep satisfaction, but not perceived sleep duration, varied across groups differing in levels of industrialization. These findings suggest that subjective sleep experience extends beyond perceived sleep duration and that sociocultural factors may play an important role in subjective sleep experience and should be considered in models of insomnia and sleep health.
Related
- Perceived satisfaction with care, service atmosphere and mood fluctuations among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder in Italian mental health supported accommodations: a multicenter study.
- Associations of insomnia symptoms and physical activity with life satisfaction and psychological well-being among secondary school students in Spain: a cross-sectional study
- Healthcare providers’ confidence, satisfaction, and perceived preparedness following a multicomponent simulation-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation training program in Gaza
- Examining the Relationship Between Perceived Social Satisfaction, Depression, and Anxiety for People With Multiple Sclerosis Participating in Group Treatment Modalities
- Altered Individualized Structural Covariance Networks Underlie Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Chronic Insomnia Disorder: A Dynamic Time Warping Graph Theory Study
BibTeX
@misc{mammeri2026insomnia,
title = {{Is Insomnia a Western-centered disorder? A cross-cultural study of sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration}},
author = {Kevin Mammeri and Leela McKinnon and Ming Fei Li and David Samson and Lampros Perogamvros},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/yj8kd_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yj8kd_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Is Insomnia a Western-centered disorder? A cross-cultural study of sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration
AU - Kevin Mammeri
AU - Leela McKinnon
AU - Ming Fei Li
AU - David Samson
AU - Lampros Perogamvros
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/yj8kd_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/yj8kd_v1/
AB - Insomnia disorder (ID) is highly prevalent in industrialized societies, yet it is primarily conceptualized and treated at the individual level, with limited consideration of sociocultural influences. This cross-sectional, cross cultural study investigated subjective sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration across groups differing in lifestyle, scale and degree of industrialization. A total of 1,389 adults from seven countries completed measures of sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration. Healthy participants included 37 individuals from the Hadza hunter-gatherer group in Tanzania (small-scale, non-industrialized group), 447 individuals from rural regions of Madagascar, Guatemala, and South Africa (mixed-scale groups) and 833 participants from large-scale, industrialized groups (United States and Mexico, large-scale). A separate clinical sample of 72 Swiss patients suffering from ID was included. Logistic regressions and Bayesian analyses were conducted on two dichotomous outcomes: sleep satisfaction and perceived sleep duration (<6 h vs. ≥6 h). Participants from the Hadza group showed a significantly higher probability of being satisfied with their sleep than participants from large scale groups and patients with ID. All non-clinical groups reported greater sleep satisfaction than the ID group. In contrast, no significant differences in perceived sleep duration were observed across groups. Sleep satisfaction, but not perceived sleep duration, varied across groups differing in levels of industrialization. These findings suggest that subjective sleep experience extends beyond perceived sleep duration and that sociocultural factors may play an important role in subjective sleep experience and should be considered in models of insomnia and sleep health.
ER -