Diurnal preference and depressive symptomatology: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Chronobiology
• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Eveningness, characterized by later sleep and wake times, is increasingly recognized for its associations with adverse physical and mental health outcomes.
• A significant body of research indicates a link between eveningness and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
• Quantifying the precise strength of this association has been limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis to quantify the association between eveningness and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
• To investigate potential sources of heterogeneity in the observed association.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis was performed, pooling 43 effect sizes from 27,996 participants.
• A random-effects model was employed to estimate the overall effect size.
• Meta-regression analyses and funnel plot inspections were used to explore heterogeneity and publication bias.

Main Results:

• Eveningness was associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with a small effect size (Fisher's Z = -2.4).
• Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies.
• Meta-regression indicated that mean age significantly influenced the association between diurnal preference and depression.

Conclusions:

• The association between diurnal preference and depression is small and heterogeneous.
• Further investigation into the mechanistic links between diurnal preference and depression is warranted.
• High-powered prospective studies are needed to establish causal relationships.