Religious/spiritual engagement and sleep profiles in older Vietnamese adults
In a 2018 survey of 4,901 Vietnamese adults aged 60 and over, three sleep-disturbance profiles were found; religious and spiritual engagement was linked to a higher chance of the mild profile in women only, and this link lost statistical significance after further adjustment. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The 2018 survey included 4,901 Vietnamese adults aged 60 or older, and latent class analysis found mild (29.4%), moderate (45.6%) and severe (25.0%) sleep-disturbance profiles. [1]
The moderate and severe profiles had similarly high insomnia symptoms but differed in perceived sleep quality, restfulness and medication use. [1]
Among women, engagement was linked to a 6.0 percentage-point higher probability of the mild profile, which fell by 2.0 points after further adjustment and was no longer statistically significant; no significant associations appeared among men. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Abstract of a cross-sectional survey analysis using latent class and sex-stratified multinomial logistic regression models.
- Population / context
- 4,901 Vietnamese adults aged 60 or older in the 2018 Longitudinal Study of Aging and Health in Vietnam.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- October 6, 2026
Sleep profiles in 4,901 older Vietnamese adults
The study used data from the 2018 Longitudinal Study of Aging and Health in Vietnam, covering 4,901 people aged 60 or older. Sleep disturbance was measured with six self-reported indicators, and a latent class analysis grouped people into profiles. Three profiles emerged: mild (29.4%), moderate (45.6%) and severe (25.0%). The moderate and severe profiles had similarly high insomnia symptoms but differed in perceived sleep quality, restfulness and medication use. The authors conclude that sleep disturbance in later life reflects varied subjective sleep experiences rather than a uniform consequence of aging.
Supporting source [1]
Sex-specific link to religious and spiritual engagement
Associations were estimated separately for women and men, adjusting for sociodemographic, physical health, behavioral and psychosocial factors. Among women, religious and spiritual engagement was associated with a 6.0 percentage-point higher probability of belonging to the mild profile after adjustment for sociodemographic, environmental and physical health confounders. This association shrank by 2.0 percentage points after further adjustment for psychosocial and behavioral factors and was no longer statistically significant. Among men, no significant associations were observed. These are associations, not evidence that engagement causes better sleep.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope of the sleep study
This explainer is based only on the abstract; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract reports the survey year, sample size, age group, six self-reported sleep indicators, the three profiles and the sex-stratified adjusted models. It does not give details on how religious and spiritual engagement was measured, on response rates or on the exact wording of sleep questions. The authors stress that subjective sleep experiences, broader psychosocial contexts and sex-specific patterns matter for understanding sleep health in later life.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract does not describe how religious and spiritual engagement was measured, response rates or exact sleep-question wording. Reported links are associations, not causal effects.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Vu TD, Pothisiri W. · europepmc.org · October 6, 2026