Sleep duration, adherence to sleep recommendations, and risk of depression symptoms among Brazilian high school students
1
Physical Education, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil
2
Health Sciences Center, Ceara State University, Fortaleza, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Adequate sleep is essential for adolescent health, and sleep deprivation has been consistently associated with adverse mental health outcomes, such as an increased risk of depression. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between sleep duration, adherence to sleep recommendations, and risk of depressive symptoms among adolescents.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study (ELEVA was conducted in 2022 with 625 adolescents (56.3% female; mean age 16.48 [SD = 1.22] years) enrolled in Federal Institutes of Education in the cities of Florianopolis, São José, and Palhoça, in southern Brazil. Daily sleep duration was self-reported using an instrument validated1 and categorized as “meeting sleep recommendations” for durations of 8 hours or more per night2. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and classified as “high risk of depression” for scores of 20 points or higher3. Generalized linear mixed models were applied, adjusting for sex, age, socioeconomic status, school shift, and self-reported daily time in physical activity.
RESULTS:
More than half of the adolescents were classified as having a high risk of depressive symptoms (54.7%) and did not meet sleep recommendations (54.1%), with a mean sleep duration of 7.87 hours/night (SD = 1.32). Analysis of the association between continuous sleep duration and the risk of depressive symptoms showed that each additional hour of sleep was associated with a significant 21% reduction in the odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.68–0.91). Adolescents who met sleep recommendations had a 33% lower risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.47–0.96).
CONCLUSIONS:
Both longer sleep duration and adherence to sleep recommendations were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of promoting healthy sleep habits to help prevent depressive symptoms in adolescents.
Adequate sleep is essential for adolescent health, and sleep deprivation has been consistently associated with adverse mental health outcomes, such as an increased risk of depression. Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between sleep duration, adherence to sleep recommendations, and risk of depressive symptoms among adolescents.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study (ELEVA was conducted in 2022 with 625 adolescents (56.3% female; mean age 16.48 [SD = 1.22] years) enrolled in Federal Institutes of Education in the cities of Florianopolis, São José, and Palhoça, in southern Brazil. Daily sleep duration was self-reported using an instrument validated1 and categorized as “meeting sleep recommendations” for durations of 8 hours or more per night2. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and classified as “high risk of depression” for scores of 20 points or higher3. Generalized linear mixed models were applied, adjusting for sex, age, socioeconomic status, school shift, and self-reported daily time in physical activity.
RESULTS:
More than half of the adolescents were classified as having a high risk of depressive symptoms (54.7%) and did not meet sleep recommendations (54.1%), with a mean sleep duration of 7.87 hours/night (SD = 1.32). Analysis of the association between continuous sleep duration and the risk of depressive symptoms showed that each additional hour of sleep was associated with a significant 21% reduction in the odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.68–0.91). Adolescents who met sleep recommendations had a 33% lower risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.47–0.96).
CONCLUSIONS:
Both longer sleep duration and adherence to sleep recommendations were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of promoting healthy sleep habits to help prevent depressive symptoms in adolescents.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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