Sleep Variability and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences in College Students: Dynamic Associations With ADHD

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Public Health

Background:

• College students frequently engage in heavy alcohol use and exhibit poor sleep patterns.
• Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are particularly susceptible to sleep disturbances and alcohol-related harms.
• Prior research has largely overlooked sleep variability (e.g., in bedtime, duration, waketime), a factor potentially crucial for individuals with ADHD due to self-regulation challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate ADHD-related differences in sleep variability among college students.
• To determine if sleep variability predicts alcohol-related negative consequences in this population.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week daily diary study was conducted with 101 college students (51 with ADHD, 50 without ADHD) who reported heavy drinking.
• Dynamic Structural Equation Models (DSEM) were employed to analyze sleep averages, sleep variability, and alcohol-related negative consequences.
• The study examined ADHD group differences and the predictive relationship between sleep variability and negative consequences.

Main Results:

• Students with ADHD exhibited significantly later average waketimes compared to controls.
• Individuals with ADHD reported greater variability in bedtime, waketime, and sleep duration, alongside increased alcohol-related negative consequences.
• Greater sleep duration variability significantly predicted increased negative consequences, independent of ADHD status.

Conclusions:

• Sleep variability is a critical factor to consider in college students, especially those with ADHD, who engage in heavy drinking.
• Sleep variability emerges as a significant risk mechanism for alcohol-related negative consequences in this demographic.
• Interventions addressing sleep variability may help mitigate alcohol-related harms among college students.