Sleep problems, decision-making, and suicide attempts during adolescence: a longitudinal birth cohort study

Area of Science:

• Adolescent psychiatry
• Sleep medicine
• Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

• Sleep problems are a known risk factor for suicidal ideation and behavior in adolescents.
• Longitudinal studies investigating the mechanisms, such as cognitive functioning, linking sleep problems to suicide attempts are limited.
• Understanding the temporal relationship and specificity of this link is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of sleep problems on subsequent suicide attempts in adolescents.
• To examine whether risk-taking and decision-making behaviors moderate the relationship between sleep problems and suicide attempts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized longitudinal data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) with 8524 participants.
• Assessed sleep parameters (total time in bed, social jetlag, sleep onset latency, night awakenings) at age 14.
• Measured suicide attempts at age 17 and assessed risk-taking/decision-making using the Cambridge Gambling Task at age 14.

Main Results:

• Shorter total sleep time on school days and more frequent night awakenings were significantly associated with increased odds of suicide attempts.
• Rational decision-making moderated the association between night awakenings and suicide attempts, indicating a protective effect.

Conclusions:

• Sleep deprivation and fragmentation, particularly frequent night awakenings, are significant risk factors for adolescent suicide attempts.
• Rational decision-making plays a moderating role, suggesting cognitive factors are important in the sleep-suicide attempt relationship.
• Findings highlight sleep quality and cognitive function as potential targets for suicide prevention strategies in adolescents.