Gender differences in the impact of sleep duration on common mental disorders in school students

Frontal P300 asymmetry and congruence judgment: Retroactive switching is impaired during school day mornings in female adolescents

Investigating frontal EEG asymmetry as a possible biomarker of cognitive control abilities is especially important in ecological contexts such as school and work. We used a novel approach combining judgment performance and hemispheric frontal event-related potential (ERP) P300 asymmetry (fP3As) to evaluate aspects of cognitive control (i.e., repetition and switching) in adolescent females over a two-week ordinary school period. While undergoing electroencephalographic recording, students performed a word-colour "Stroop-like" congruence judgment task during morning and afternoon sessions, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Proportion of incongruence and congruence trials was 75% and 25%, respectively. ERP analysis revealed larger "novelty" right hemispheric fP3As amplitude for infrequent congruence but equivalent or significantly smaller than left hemispheric fP3As amplitude for frequent incongruence. RTs increased with extent of right fP3As shift. Behaviorally, repeat trial pairs (i.e., congruent followed by congruent, incongruent followed by incongruent) generally did not differ by time or day and were associated with near-ceiling accuracy. In contrast, switch trial pairs (i.e., congruent followed by incongruent, incongruent followed by congruent) in the afternoon were slower and associated with lower accuracy at the expected 75% criterion rate (i.e., judging incongruence by default), dropping significantly below 75% in the mornings. Crucially, compared to afternoon, morning fP3As patterns did not change adaptively with switch trial pairs. Although retroactive switching during congruence judgment was affected at all testing times, we conclude it was most impaired in the mornings of both early and mid school weeks, supporting misalignment between adolescent circadian cycle and school start time. We discuss some implications for optimal learning of adolescents at school.

Association between self-reported sleep duration and dietary quality in Mexican school-aged children

Short sleep duration has been associated with poor diet quality in school-aged children in multiple populations. However, investigations of sleep and dietary quality in Mexican school-aged children are scarce. The main objective of this work was to assess the association between sleep duration and dietary quality in Mexican school-aged children stratified by sex. The data were collected from 373 (138 girls and 235 boys) elementary school children aged 6-12 years in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Surveys collected information on general demographic characteristics and self-reported sleep duration. Diet was assessed with 24-h recalls, and dietary quality was calculated by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015). Results indicated that overall mean sleep duration was 8.23 ± 1.06 h. From the total sample, 6.7% slept ≤6 h (not recommended), 55.8% 7-8 h (may be appropriate), and 37.5% ≥ 9 h (recommended). Average total HEI-2015 score was 64.6 (out of possible 100), with boys having lower HEI-2015 scores than girls (57.7 vs 69.4). Moreover, girls and boys with shorter sleep duration (≤6 h compared to ≥ 9 h) had lower HEI-2015 scores (-1.03 [95% CI -2.74, -0.47; p < .01] and -1.78 [95% CI -3.15, -0.86; p < .001], respectively). Regarding the individual components of dietary quality, those with ≤6 h of sleep had lower scores particularly in vegetables, protein sources, added sugars and saturated fats for girls and boys compared to those with ≥9 h. These findings suggest sleep may be an important determinant of dietary practices within the Mexican children.

Association of sleep with mental health in Chinese high school students: a cross-sectional study

Adolescents' sleep problems and their association with mental health is an important public health concern. This study aimed to investigate sleep and mental health status and the association of sleep with mental health in Chinese high school students. Data came from a cross-sectional study in Guangdong province which included 42,077 high school students. Sleep quality and sleep duration were obtained through self-report. The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure mental health. The association between sleep quality, sleep duration, and mental health was analysed using logistic regression. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were 35.27%, 42.32%, and 21.87% in high school students, respectively. And only 17.71% and 34.41% of the high school students had very good sleep quality and ≥8 h sleep duration, respectively. Poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration were risk factors for mental health problems in high school students. Compared to high school students with very good sleep quality and ≥8 h sleep duration, the high school students with poor or very poor sleep quality and <6 h sleep duration had the highest risk of depression symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 5.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.40-5.72), anxiety symptoms (OR 6.02, 95% CI5.25-6.89), and stress symptoms (OR 6.12, 95% CI5.30-7.06). Considering the combined association of sleep quality and sleep duration on mental health, it is important not only to ensure that high school students have sufficient sleep duration, but also to improve their sleep quality.

Examining the relationship of sociodemographic factors, neighborhood cohesion and abnormal sleep duration among U.S. foreign-born subpopulations in the National Health Interview Survey

Background

Limited studies have examined the relationship of neighborhood cohesion and sleep duration between U.S. foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos and non-Hispanics/Latinos.

Methods

We conducted a multinomial logistic regression using the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Survey on U.S. foreign-born adults ≥18 (N = 27,253). The outcome variable, sleep duration, was categorized as short sleep (≤6 hours), normal sleep (7 to 8 hours), and long sleep (≥9 hours). Neighborhood cohesion was categorized using tertiles (low, medium, high) from self-reported Likert scores. Our model included sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, marital status), socioeconomic status (i.e., education, employment status), health risk behaviors (i.e., body mass index, smoking status, alcohol drinking status), ethnic identity (i.e., Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American, other/multiple Hispanic/Latino, and non-Hispanic/Latino), and acculturation factors (i.e., years lived in the U.S.; the language of interview).

Results

Participants reporting low and medium neighborhood cohesion compared to high neighborhood cohesion had 45% (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.33-1.58) and 15% (95%CI:1.05-1.26) increased odds of short sleep (≤6 hours), compared to normal average sleep. Mexican participants had decreased odds of experiencing short sleep (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.82, 95%CI:0.73-0.92), while Puerto Ricans had increased odds of experiencing short sleep (AOR = 1.25, 95%CI:1.03-1.51) compared to non-Hispanics/Latinos.

Conclusion

Neighborhood cohesion was associated with increased odds of short sleep duration. Social determinants, acculturation, and behavioral risk factors in the context of neighborhood cohesion are critical to understand U.S. foreign-born Hispanic/Latino sleep duration, as these factors may negatively synergize to exacerbate risk, worsening mental and physical health outcomes.

Nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour among Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown a positive association between sleep deprivation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents, but few studies have described the effects of oversleeping and weekend catch-up sleep on NSSI. The present study aimed to explore the nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and NSSI among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

Data from China's National Adolescent Health Surveillance for the years 2014 to 2015 were collected from 15,713 students located across four provinces in China. A self-report questionnaire was used to assess sleep duration and 12-month NSSI. Binomial logistic regression models were used to examine the association between NSSI and sleep duration. The locally estimated scatter plot smoothing (LOESS) method was used to explore the associations of total NSSI number with sleep duration, and binomial regression analysis was used to test this relationship.

RESULTS

About 68.5% of adolescents reported sleeping less than 8 h on weeknights, while 37.8% of adolescents slept more than 10 h per night during weekends. The 12-month prevalence rate of NSSI was 29.4%. Compared to adolescents who reported weekend catch-up sleep of 0-1 h, those who slept < 0 h (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.38, 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]: 1.16-1.64) had a higher risk of NSSI. Males who reported ≥3 h of weekend catch-up sleep had significantly increased odds of NSSI (aOR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.01-1.42). Notably, a positive U-shaped association was observed between the sleep duration and the total NSSI number.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings reveal a nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and NSSI among Chinese adolescents. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant and screen for sleep duration among adolescents in NSSI treatment or prevention.

The role of family meal frequency in common mental disorders in children and adolescents over eight months of follow-up

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the influence of family meal frequency on the occurrence of common mental disorders (CMD) in children and adolescents over eight months of follow-up.

DESIGN

Data from this longitudinal study were derived from the PAAPAS-Parents, Students, Community Health Agents, and Teachers for Healthy Eating-community trial. CMD were evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire. Frequency of family meals (breakfast and dinner) was categorized as "breakfast and dinner regularly with the family", "at least breakfast or dinner regularly with the family", and "does not have any meal regularly with the family." The effect of family meal frequency on CMD was analyzed using generalized estimation equations with log-binomial models for repeated measures.

SETTING

This study was conducted in public schools (N = 18) of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.

PARTICIPANTS

Children (aged 9-11 years) and adolescents (aged 12-17 years) from the fifth and sixth grades (N = 2,743).

RESULTS

These findings suggested that regular family meals were a protective factor for mental health. The adjusted relative risk of CMD was 0.75 (95% confidence interval = 0.69-0.83) for those who had two family meals regularly and 0.87 (95% confidence interval = 0.77-0.97) for those who had only one regular family meal, compared to students who had no regular family meals.

CONCLUSIONS

Potential strategies that educate and encourage families about the mental health benefits of eating regular meals together must be explored and implemented.

Social Jetlag and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness from a Sample of Russian Children and Adolescents

PURPOSE

Insufficient nocturnal sleep is a primary source of excessive daytime sleepiness. Most previous research has focused on the disparity between sleep demands and study start times in adolescents. Fewer studies have focused on elementary schoolchildren. We hypothesize that late sleep timing is connected to excessive daytime sleepiness in a sample of Russian children and adolescents. The major goals of our study were to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness in Russian schoolchildren and adolescents using the Russian version of the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and to estimate its relationship with sleep-wake parameters using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Student subjects were from public educational facilities in the Republic of Karelia. They completed both the PDSS and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire to estimate sleep parameters and chronotype (MSFsc). Five hundred and eleven students provided data for the PDSS and sleep-wake variables, and 479 for the full MCTQ data.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) in our sample was 18%. The total PDSS score was inversely correlated with sleep length on school nights and was independent of respondents' sex. Higher PDSS scores were associated with later bedtimes on school days and free days, and shorter sleep duration on school days. Late chronotype and more pronounced social jetlag were both positively correlated with high PDSS scores. A negative correlation was found between chronotype and the duration of the sleep period on weekdays (p < 0.001) and a positive correlation was found on weekends (p < 0.001). Longer average sleep duration was positively related to less daytime sleepiness.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that excessive daytime sleepiness is chronotype-dependent. School start times could be shifted to a later hour to prolong sleep and reduce EDS.