Insufficient Sleep is Associated With Increasing Trends in Adolescent Suicidal Behaviors

Youth suicide has been increasing and became a public health concern worldwide. Identifying insufficient sleep as the potential risk factor is critical to reducing suicide risk and increasing trends. This study aimed to determine whether insufficient sleep is associated with increasing trends in suicidal behaviors and disparities by sex, age, and race/ethnicity among school adolescents.

The present study used biennial data from the US nationally representative Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2007 to 2019. Joinpoint regression models were used to estimate biennial percent changes (BPCs) and average BPCs (ABPCs) of suicidal behaviors by sleep duration. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between insufficient sleep and suicidal behaviors.

Of 73,356 adolescent students included (mean [standard deviation] age, 16.11 [1.23] years), 50.03% were female. Suicidal ideation and suicide plan among insufficient sleep group increased from 2007 to 2019 (BPC = 2.88% [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.65%, 4.13%]; BPC = 3.42% [95% CI: 2.09%, 4.77%]), but were nonsignificant among sufficient sleep group. Trends in suicidal ideation (ABPC = 3.03% [95% CI: 1.35%, 4.73%]) and suicide plan (ABPC = 4.03% [95% CI: 2.47%, 5.62%]) among female adolescents with insufficient sleep increased, but nonsignificant among male adolescents with insufficient sleep. Suicidal ideation (ABPC = 1.73% [95% CI: 0.51%, 2.97%]) and suicide plan (ABPC = 2.31% [95% CI: 0.70%, 3.95%]) increased among younger adolescents only with insufficient sleep, whereas suicide trends by sleep duration were similar among older adolescents. Suicide plan among insufficient sleep group increased across the four racial groups, with BPC highest for the White (BPC = 3.48% [95% CI: 1.31%, 5.69%]), and lowest for the Hispanic/Latino (BPC = 1.18% [95% CI: 0.15%, 2.23%]), but were nonsignificant among sufficient sleep group except for the White (BPC = 2.83% [95% CI: 0.62%, 5.09%]).

Insufficient sleep was disproportionately associated with increasing trends in suicidal behaviors among female, younger, and non-White adolescent students. Ensuring sufficient sleep can potentially reduce suicide among school adolescents.