An investigation of the longitudinal relationship between sleep and depressed mood in developing teens

Abstract

Nicole Lovato,1 Michelle A Short,2 Gorica Micic,3 Rachel M Hiller,4 Michael Gradisar3 1Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health: A Flinders Centre of Research Excellence, Repatriation General Hospital, Flinders University, 2Centre for Sleep Research, University of South Australia, 3School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; 4Department of Psychology, University of Bath, North East Somerset, UK Objective: The prospective, bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbance and depressed mood was assessed in a school-based sample of adolescents. Method: One hundred and thirty-eight Australian adolescents (mean age time 1 =15.69, standard deviation =0.92; 64% male) completed questionnaires to assess sleep parameters and depressed mood, on two occasions over 1 year. Results: Cross-sectional associations were observed between depressed mood and sleep duration, as well as wakefulness in bed. Prospective analyses revealed depressed mood predicted less total sleep time on school nights and a longer latency to sleep onset on weekends 1 year later. There was no prospective support for sleep predicting later depressed mood. Conclusion: Contrary to prediction, our results suggest in this case that depressed mood may act as a precursor to poor sleep rather than the converse. Keywords: adolescence, sleep disturbance, school-based, prospective, depressive symptoms

Keywords

• Adolescence
• Sleep disturbance
• School-based
• Prospective
• Depressive symptoms