A Longitudinal Study of Insomnia and Other Sleep Complaints in Adolescents With and Without Alcohol Use Disorders
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances are both common and well-characterized in adults with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), but have received little study in adolescents with AUDs. Furthermore, a handful of studies suggest that sleep complaints are a risk factor for AUDs. However, no published studies have yet examined the longitudinal course of sleep complaints in adolescents with AUDs; in particular, it remains unclear how persistent AUD-associated sleep complaints are in this age group, and what types of sleep complaints are most relevant to alcohol-use symptoms. We investigated these questions in a 5-year longitudinal study of adolescents with and without AUDs at baseline. METHODS: Participants were 696 adolescents (age 12 to 19) from a longitudinal study at the Pittsburgh Adolescent Alcohol Research Center. At baseline, 347 participants had a current AUD (AUD+), while 349 had no current or past AUD (AUD-). We examined sleep and alcohol involvement at baseline as well as 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up visits. Sleep variables included self-reported insomnia and hypersomnia, as well as variability in weekday-weekend sleep duration, all at baseline. Covariates included sex, age, current alcohol symptoms, and depression severity. RESULTS: The AUD+ group reported more overall sleep disturbance at baseline, including greater insomnia and hypersomnia complaints, and greater variability in weekday-weekend sleep duration. Group differences in insomnia and hypersomnia complaints persisted to the 5- and 3-year follow-ups, respectively. In the AUD- group, greater insomnia complaints at baseline predicted an increase in alcohol symptoms at the 1-year follow-up, while greater variability in sleep duration at baseline predicted an increase in alcohol symptoms at the 3- and 5-year follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: These results complement previous findings in other samples, indicating that insomnia and other sleep problems are a chronic predicament for adolescents with AUDs. The findings also suggest that sleep disturbances may place adolescents without AUDs at an elevated risk of developing alcohol problems.
DOI: 10.1111/acer.12474
Authors: Brant P. Hasler, Christopher S. Martin, D. Scott Wood, Bedda Rosario, Duncan B. Clark
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: PITTSBURGH GIRLS STUDY: SUBSTANCE USE AND HIV RISK BEHAVIORS/STI IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD, Interdisciplinary mentoring in adolescent/young adult alcohol and drug research, Circadian misalignment and reward function: a novel pathway to substance use, Drug Abuse Vulnerability: Mechanisms and Manifestations, DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS, QUANTITATIVE METHODS AND PHENOTYPING IN ALCOHOL RESEARCH, Integrating longitudinal research on adolescent AUDs with imaging and genetics, Social Network Influences on Adolescent AUD Treatment Outcomes, Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders from Adolescence through Age 30, Northwest Pennsylvania Adolescent Alcohol Research Cooperative (Phase II), NCANDA Research Project Site: University of Pittsburgh (NCANDA-PITT)
OpenAlex ID: W2038726286