Adolescent insomnia as a risk factor for early adult depression and substance abuse.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the association between adolescent insomnia and mental health during adolescence and young adulthood.


METHODS
Cross-sectional and prospective study.


METHODS
School and in home.


METHODS
Nationally based population sample of 4494 adolescents, 12 to 18 years old at baseline (mean = 15.83 years), with 3582 young adults, 18 to 25 years old (mean = 21.25 years) at 6- to 7-year follow-up.


METHODS
Self-report measures of mental health.


RESULTS
Insomnia symptoms were reported by 9.4% of the adolescents. Cross-sectionally, adolescent insomnia symptoms were associated with use of alcohol, cannabis, and drugs other than cannabis; depression; suicide ideation; and suicide attempts (all P values < 0.01) after controlling for sex. Prospectively, insomnia symptoms during adolescence were a significant risk factor for depression diagnosis (odds ratio = 2.3) in young adulthood after controlling for sex and baseline depression.


CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first to longitudinally evaluate insomnia symptoms during adolescence as a risk factor for mental health problems in young adulthood. The findings indicate that insomnia is a prevalent problem for adolescents and argue for future treatment-outcome studies to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of various insomnia interventions in this age group.
Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-1280, USA.
Brandy M
BM
Roane
Daniel J
DJ
Taylor
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult