Associations between Sleep, Depression, and Cognitive Performance in Adolescence

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Adolescent cognitive development is crucial and requires understanding associated factors.
• Cognitive functions like reasoning and mathematical thinking are vital during this developmental stage.
• The interplay between sleep, depression, and cognition in adolescents warrants further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze inductive reasoning, reading comprehension, and mathematical thinking in relation to sleep and depression.
• To examine the influence of sociodemographic variables on these relationships.
• To identify predictive factors for cognitive performance in adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 244 adolescents (aged 12-17).
• Self-reported questionnaires assessed daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, dysthymia, and euthymia.
• Non-parametric tests and robust regression models analyzed correlations and predictive roles.

Main Results:

• Significant bidirectional relationships were found between sleep, depression, and cognitive performance.
• Depression-trait and euthymia showed stronger associations with cognitive performance than state measures.
• Daytime sleepiness and sleep quality did not significantly correlate with cognitive performance.

Conclusions:

• Promoting euthymia (positive emotional state) is important for improving adolescent cognitive performance.
• Sociodemographic factors like sex and age influence sleep, depression, and cognitive outcomes.
• Further research is needed to explore additional variables impacting adolescent cognition.