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Summary: Adolescents who sleep less or experience frequent night wakings are significantly more likely to attempt suicide later in adolescence, according to a major longitudinal study. Researchers analyzed data from more than 8,500 adolescents and found that poor sleep at age 14 predicted suicide attempts at age 17, even after accounting for other mental health risk factors.
The study revealed that shorter sleep duration and fragmented sleep were stronger predictors than depressive symptoms. Therefore, improving sleep patterns in adolescents could serve as a crucial and practical goal for suicide prevention.
Key facts:
Long-term risk: Teens who slept less or had interrupted sleep by age 14 were more likely to attempt suicide by age 17. Independent predictor: Sleep problems remained a strong risk factor even after adjusting for mental health and history of self-harm. Protective role: Rational decision-making skills reduced suicide risk, but the effect was weakened by chronic sleep disruption.
Source: University of Warwick
Teenagers who do not get enough sleep on school nights or who have disrupted sleep are at increased risk of suicide, new research from the University of Warwick has found.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers in the UK. Despite the known tendency of adolescents to lose sleep (due to both biological and social factors), the long-term impact of this sleep loss on suicide risk remains unclear.
Now, researchers at the University of Warwick have demonstrated a longitudinal link between sleep disruption in early adolescence and later suicide attempts, for the first time in the context of risk-taking and decision-making.
The new study, published in Sleep Advances, analyzed data from more than 8,500 young people in the Millennium Cohort Study. Adolescents who reported a suicide attempt at age 17 were found to have been more likely to have spent less time in bed during school days and to have had interrupted sleep at age 14.
Michaela Pawley, PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick, said: “Adolescence is a crucial developmental period when both sleep problems and suicide risk tend to emerge.
“Our findings show that adolescents who experience difficulties maintaining and getting enough sleep are more likely to report a suicide attempt several years later. Poor sleep is not just a symptom of broader difficulties, but a significant risk factor in its own right. Addressing sleep problems could form a vital part of suicide prevention strategies.”
Key findings from the Warwick team include:
Shorter total time in bed during school days and more frequent night awakenings at age 14 were associated with a higher likelihood of reporting a suicide attempt at age 17. These associations remained even after taking into account established suicide risk factors such as socioeconomic status, history of self-harm, and mental health difficulties. Shorter total time in bed on school days and more frequent night awakenings were stronger risk factors compared to depressive symptoms and other established psychosocial risks. factors.
The researchers were the first to explore how cognitive factors may influence this relationship. They found that adolescents with greater rational decision-making skills appeared to be protected from the impact of nighttime awakenings on suicide risk, although this protective effect diminished with frequent sleep interruptions. This opens the question of what other factors may interact with sleep to confer suicide risk in adolescents.
Lead author Professor Nicole Tang, director of the Warwick Sleep and Pain Laboratory at the University of Warwick, added: “We need to recognize that sleep lack and fragmentation are not trivial complaints: they can wear down defenses and drive actions or behaviors that have life-or-death consequences. If we can better identify and support adolescents who struggle with sleep, we can reduce attempts to stop sleep. suicide.”
The researchers note that while lack of sleep likely contributes to difficulties in cognitive functioning, such as decision-making, more studies are needed to fully understand these pathways. Nevertheless, the findings provide a basis for identifying adolescents most at risk for the worst outcomes and highlight the potential of increasing sleep time on school nights as a practical goal for youth suicide prevention.
Study details
The study used data from waves 6 and 7 of the Millennium Cohort Study, which included adolescents ages 14 and 17 (n = 8,524). Sleep variables included time in bed on school and non-school days, sleep onset latency, frequency of nighttime awakenings, and social jet lag. Suicide attempt was measured by self-report at age 17 years. Risk taking and decision making were assessed using the Cambridge Gambling Task. title: Sleep problems, decision making, and suicide attempts during adolescence: a longitudinal birth cohort study. DOI: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpaf062
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report and need help:
Children and young people affected by mental health problems can find support, information and details about local NHS mental health services at www.youngminds.org.uk/find-help or call Childline on 0800 1111.
For adults, whether you are worried about yourself or a loved one, you can find NHS mental health hotlines and a list of mental health charities, organizations and support groups offering expert advice on the NHS website at: www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/ or call Samaritans on 116 123.
About the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS)
The MCS follows 19,517 young people born across the UK between 2000 and 2001, creating an exceptionally detailed portrait of the children of the new century. The MCS is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and a consortium of government departments and managed by the UCL Center for Longitudinal Studies at the UCL Institute of Social Research.
Key questions answered:
A: Disrupted or insufficient sleep weakens emotional regulation and decision-making, increasing vulnerability to suicidal behavior in adolescence.
A: Yes, this study found that sleep problems predicted suicide attempts even more strongly than depressive symptoms or psychosocial difficulties.
A: Researchers think so. Promoting better sleep hygiene and identifying adolescents with chronic sleep disturbances could become key suicide prevention strategies.
About this news story on sleep and suicide research
Author: Matt Higgs
Source: University of Warwick
Contact: Matt Higgs – University of Warwick
Image: Image is credited to Neuroscience News.
Original research: Open access.
“Sleep Problems, Decision Making, and Suicide Attempts During Adolescence: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study” by Michaela Pawley et al. Advances in SLEEP
Abstract
Sleep problems, decision making, and suicide attempts during adolescence: a longitudinal birth cohort study.
Study objectives
Sleep problems have been identified as a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors during adolescence, however, the lack of longitudinal mechanistic research on contributing factors (e.g., cognitive functioning) limits understanding of the temporality and specificity of this relationship. This study investigates the impact of sleep problems on subsequent suicide attempts, and whether risk taking and decision making moderate this relationship.
Methods
This analysis used data from waves 6 (14 years) and 7 (17 years) in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS; n = 8,524, females = 4,369 (51.26 percent)), a longitudinal study representative of the UK population of young people born between 2000 and 2002. Self-reported sleep items assessed at age 14 were used to estimate total time in bed in the nights school and non-school, social jet lag, sleep. Onset latency and frequency of nocturnal awakenings. Self-reported suicide attempt was measured at age 17 years. The Cambridge Gambling Task assessed risk taking and decision making at age 14.
Results
Shorter total time in bed during school days (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.80 to 0.96; p = 0.004) and more frequent night awakenings (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.23; p ≤ 0.001) were prospectively associated with subsequent reported suicide attempts, even when controlling for covariates demographic and clinical. Rational decision making (OR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.33 to 3.37; p = 0.002) moderated the association between nocturnal awakenings and suicide attempts.
Conclusions
Shorter total time in bed and more frequent night wakings increased the risk of suicide in adolescents, and this latter relationship was modified by rational decision making. These results provide insight into the etiology of adolescent suicidal behavior and highlight sleep deprivation and fragmentation as potential preventive targets for suicide attempts.
