Sleep duration, quality of life and depression in adolescents: a school-based survey

The main objective of this study was to assess the link between sleep duration, quality of life and depression in adolescents. The secondary objective was to study the sleeping behavior of a large sample of adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Study subjects were high school students studying in or around Paris with a general, vocational or technological training background. A survey was conducted to evaluate the subject's perception of their own sleep, quality of life and depression.

The survey analyzed 855 students between 14 and 19 years of age, with equal numbers of males and females. The average sleep duration was 7 h 14 min ±1 h 20 min and was inversely correlated with age (r=-0.142, P<0.01). Students studying vocational subjects reported significantly more sleep than students studying technological subjects (P=0.02). Univariate analyses revealed a positive relationship between sleep duration and quality of life (r=0.17, P<0.001) and an inverse relationship between sleep duration and depression (r=-0.5, P<0.001). Multivariate analyses identified depression, delayed sleep phase disorder, and medical condition as determinants of sleep duration.

This investigation of a large student cohort has confirmed that the average sleep duration in adolescents is far below what is recommended. Depression significantly influenced sleep duration. We recommend that a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of sleep should be made during the medical examination of any adolescent.