SALT LAKE CITY – Adolescent insomnia is fairly common and appears to be a risk factor for psychological disorders in young adulthood, Brandy M. Roane reported at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Of 4,253 adolescents aged 12–18 years at baseline, more than 9% reported insomnia.
For the purposes of this study, insomnia was defined as a self-report of having difficulty falling asleep on all or most nights during the prior year, according to Ms. Roane, who is a doctoral student in psychology at the University of North Texas at Dallas.
Those participants who reported insomnia during adolescence were 1.7 times more likely to binge drink and smoke cigarettes, 1.6 times more likely to have smoked marijuana, 2.6 times more likely to have used other drugs, and 2.4 times more likely to have depression than did those who did not report insomnia, she said, noting that each of these findings was highly statistically significant.
Reevaluation by an in-home survey 7–8 years following the initial interview showed that during young adulthood, those who had insomnia during adolescence were 1.2 times more likely to smoke cigarettes, 2.8 times more likely to have been diagnosed with depression, 3.5 times more likely to use medications for depression and stress, compared with those who did not report insomnia during adolesence.
In addition, the investigators found that these young adults were 2.1 times more likely to have attempted suicide, and 2.1 times more likely to have suicidal ideation, compared with those adolescents who did not report insomnia during adolescence.
These findings also were statistically significant, Ms. Roane said.
Further analysis to control for gender and baseline levels of variables such as depression are planned.
But these preliminary findings suggest that insomnia during adolescence may have repercussions later in life and that exploration of preventive treatments in adolescence is warranted, she said.