Work

Short sleep duration and daytime outdoor activities effects on adolescents mental health: A stress susceptibility-recovery model analysis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Mental health disorders are a growing public health challenge globally. This study aimed to utilize the Stress Susceptibility-Recovery Model to identify the relationship between sleep duration, daytime outdoor activities, and major mental health outcomes among adolescents. Data from the Yunnan Students' Common Disease Survey was analyzed. Multi-factorial logistic regression assessed the impact of each variable on mental health, while subgroup analyses and interaction tests examined the stability of the association between sleep duration, daytime outdoor activity, and mental health. Mendelian Randomization analysis assessed causal effects. The analysis included 204,158 participants aged 12–18 from 953 surveillance schools. After adjusting for covariates, the prevalence of depressive mood increased from 18.81 % (12–13 years) to 24.89 % (16–18 years); Females had a higher prevalence than males (1:1.36). Senior high school students (26.04 %) had a significantly higher rate than junior high school (21.41 %), and vocational high school students (18.42 %). Students with <2 h of daytime outdoor activity had a higher prevalence of depressive mood (24.40 %) compared to those with 2 or more hours of daytime outdoor activity (19.96 % for 2 h and 19.70 % for 3 or more hours). Short sleep duration mediated the association between reduced daytime outdoor activity and increased depressive mood or affective disorders risk, supporting the Stress Susceptibility-recovery Model. Sleep duration and daytime outdoor activity were key determinants of emotional well-being, considering aging and gender disparities. Potential sampling bias due to differences in baseline characteristics between participants with and without missing data. • Older adolescents and females were at higher risk for depressive mood. • Short sleep duration mediated the association between reduced daytime outdoor activity and increased depressive mood or affective disorders risk. • The importance of sleep duration and daytime outdoor activity as key determinants of emotional well-being (depressive mood or affective disorders), particularly considering aging and gender disparities. • This study will help establish a more comprehensive pathological model and identify effective targets for future clinical treatments.

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.04.085