Sleep parameters and problems in adolescents with and without ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Adolescence is characterized by an increase in the rate of sleep problems, which might be even more pronounced in adolescents with ADHD. This systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to compare sleep in adolescents with and without ADHD, including sleep parameters, both subjectively and objectively measured, sleep problems and sleep hygiene.

Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, ERIC, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched for studies with case-control designs (published between 1980 and 2022) directly comparing sleep in adolescents (12-25 years) with ADHD to typically developing controls. Standardized mean differences were calculated and a random-effects model was implemented using RevMan.

Overall, 6974 titles/abstracts and 205 full texts were screened, resulting in 13 eligible studies. The sample sizes range from 35 to 9846 with in total 2465 adolescents with ADHD and 18,417 controls. The data suggests that adolescents with ADHD report significantly more disturbed subjective sleep parameters (e.g., total sleep time; n = 7, SMD = 0.47, p < .001) and experience more sleep problems compared to typically developing peers (e.g., daytime sleepiness; n = 5, SMD = 0.54, p = .01). Only few studies objectively measured sleep and no significant differences were found between both groups (n = 3) in any parameter. Differences in sleep hygiene could not be examined due to a limited number of studies.

Adolescents with ADHD report significantly worsened subjectively sleep parameters and more sleep problems compared to controls. These findings are still preliminary as a limited number of studies was identified. Nevertheless, it is advised to routinely include sleep assessment in the ADHD diagnostic process. More research is needed with a focus on objective measurement and sleep hygiene in ADHD.