title: Short sleep duration in prevalent and persistent psychological distress in young adults: the DRIVE study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Young people are sleeping less. Short sleep duration has a range of negative consequences including a hypothesized link with psychological distress, which has yet to be studied
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based sample from Australia
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty thousand (20,822) young adults (aged 17-24) identified through the state vehicle licensing authority. A random sample (n = 5000) was approached for follow-up 12-18 months later, with 2837 providing full data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychological distress, determined by a Kessler 10 score > 21, at baseline; and as both onset and persistence of distress at follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Shorter sleep duration was linearly associated with prevalent psychological distress: relative risk (RR) 1.14 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.15). Only the very short (< 5 h) sleepers among those not distressed at baseline had an increased risk for onset of psychological distress (RR 3.25 [95% CI 1.84, 5.75]). Of 945 cohort participants reporting psychological distress at baseline, 419 (44%) were distressed at follow-up. Each hour less of sleep increased the risk of psychological distress persisting after adjustment for potential confounding variables: RR 1.05 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.10). Long sleep duration showed no association with distress at any time point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reported shorter sleep duration is linearly associated with prevalent and persistent psychological distress in young adults. In contrast, only the very short sleepers had a raised risk of new onset of distress. Different approaches to sleep duration measurement yield different results and should guide any interventions to improve subjective sleep duration in young adults.
authors.affiliation: Disciplines of Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Glozier
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martiniuk
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ivers
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hickie
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Senserrick
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D020920:Dyssomnias / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult