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Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
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Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression

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748

Sleep and Mental Health Problems in Children and Adolescents

Isabel Morales-Muñoz1, Alice M Gregory2

  • 1Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, 52 Pritchatts Road, Birmingham B15 2SA, UK.

Sleep Medicine Clinics
|April 29, 2023
PubMed

Insights

This review examines recent research on sleep and mental health in children and adolescents, focusing on disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It explores potential mechanisms and future research directions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric mental health
  • Sleep science
  • Developmental psychology

Background:

  • Extensive research links sleep disturbances with mental health issues.
  • Adolescence and childhood are critical periods for both sleep development and mental health.
  • The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) provides a framework for classifying mental health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent literature (last decade) on the relationship between sleep and mental health disorders in children and adolescents.
  • To focus on specific mental health disorders as defined by the latest DSM edition.
  • To explore potential underlying mechanisms connecting sleep and mental health in youth.

Main Methods:

  • Narrative review methodology.
  • Systematic search of literature published within the last 10 years.
  • Focus on studies investigating sleep and DSM-defined mental health disorders in pediatric populations.

Main Results:

  • Sleep difficulties are significantly associated with various mental health disorders in childhood and adolescence.
  • Specific sleep problems correlate with conditions such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
  • Emerging evidence suggests bidirectional pathways linking sleep and mental health.

Conclusions:

  • There is a robust and complex relationship between sleep and mental health in young people.
  • Understanding these links is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective intervention strategies.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate causal mechanisms and develop targeted sleep-based treatments for pediatric mental health.

Keywords:
AdolescentChildrenMental healthNarrative reviewSleep

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