Glozier, N., Martiniuk, A., Patton, G., Ivers, R., Li, Q., Hickie, I., . . . Stevenson, M. (2010). Short sleep duration in prevalent and persistent psychological distress in young adults: The DRIVE study. Sleep, 33(9), 1139-45.

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Abstract

Objectives

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

Design

Prospective cohort study

Setting

Community-based sample from Australia

Participants

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.

Main Outcome Measure

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.

MeSH Terms
    Adolescent
    Adult
    Age Factors
    Australia
    Cohort Studies
    Dyssomnias/complications
    Dyssomnias/psychology*
    Female
    Health Surveys
    Humans
    Male
    Prevalence
    Risk Factors
    Stress, Psychological/diagnosis
    Stress, Psychological/epidemiology*
    Stress, Psychological/psychology
    Young Adult