Association Between Sleep Duration and Depression-Related Symptoms in U.S. Adolescents (2013-2023)

Adolescent sleep deprivation has become a growing public health concern, with recent national surveys reporting sharp declines in sleep duration alongside rising rates of depressive symptoms. This study investigates the correlation between average sleep duration and depression prevalence among U.S. high school students using 10 years (2013-2023) of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between inadequate sleep and depressive symptoms (r = 0.9010, p = 0.014), with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05. These findings indicate that shorter average sleep duration is significantly associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescents. While the results do not imply causation, they underscore the importance of monitoring adolescent sleep patterns as a potential correlational indicator of mental health risk in youth populations.