Social jetlag and depressive symptoms among young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Social jetlag is very common among modern people and is an important factor influencing mental health. However, evidence regarding the relationship between social jetlag and depressive symptoms, particularly among young people (ages 10-24), is lacking. Therefore, this review aims to synthesize these studies and assess the relationship between social jetlag and depressive symptoms in young people.

We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science for relevant publications from their respective inception dates to May 4, 2024. The quality of selected studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 to calculate the combined odds ratio and correlation coefficients(r). Data were analyzed for sensitivity assessment using Stata 18.0.

A total of eight studies were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. The analysis results showed that high social jetlag (≥ 2 hours) was associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms among young people(OR = 1.44, 95% CI:1.18-1.77, I² = 85%), whereas low social jetlag (1-2 hours) was not significantly associated (OR = 1.05, 95% CI:1.00-1.09,I² = 47%). Meta-analysis of correlations showed that social jetlag was significantly but weakly associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.03-0.28,I² = 73%). The results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that the relationship between higher social jetlag (> 2 hours) and adolescent depression is robust.

Social jetlag in young people is correlated with depressive symptoms, especially among those with high social jetlag (≥ 2 h). Future longitudinal studies are needed to assess the causal relationship between the two.