Eveningness as a risk for behavioral problems in late adolescence

Circadian preference toward eveningness has been associated with increased risk for mental health problems both in early adolescence and in adulthood. However, in late adolescence, when circadian rhythm naturally shifts to later, its significance for mental health is not clear. Accordingly, we studi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chronobiology international 2017, Vol.34 (2), p.225-234
Main Authors: Merikanto, Ilona, Pesonen, Anu-Katriina, Kuula, Liisa, Lahti, Jari, Heinonen, Kati, Kajantie, Eero, Räikkönen, Katri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actigraphy
Adolescent
Adolescent Medicine
Birth Weight
Body Mass Index
Circadian Rhythm
Cohort Studies
Female
Finland
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders - diagnosis
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Problem Behavior - psychology
Risk Factors
Self Report
Sleep
Software
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Circadian preference toward eveningness has been associated with increased risk for mental health problems both in early adolescence and in adulthood. However, in late adolescence, when circadian rhythm naturally shifts to later, its significance for mental health is not clear. Accordingly, we studied how circadian rhythm estimated both by self-reported chronotype and by actigraph-defined midpoint of sleep was associated with self-reported psychiatric problems based on Youth Self Report (YSR). The study builds on a community cohort born in 1998, Helsinki, Finland. At age 17 years (mean age = 16.9, SD = 0.1 years), 183 adolescents (65.6% of the invited) participated in the study. We used the shortened version of the Horne-Östberg morningness-eveningness Questionnaire to define the chronotype, and actigraphs to define the naturally occur circadian rhythm over a 4 to 17 days' period (mean nights N = 8.3, SD = 1.8). The Achenbach software was used to obtain T-score values for YSR psychiatric problem scales. The analyses were adjusted for important covariates including gender, socioeconomic status, body mass index, pubertal maturation, mother's licorice consumption during pregnancy, and actigraph-defined sleep duration and quality. Eveningness was associated with higher scores in rule-breaking behavior and conduct problems (as assessed either by midpoint of sleep or by self-reported chronotype, p-values
ISSN:1525-6073
DOI:10.1080/07420528.2016.1267739