A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis
Adolescence and young adulthood are transitional periods associated with significant changes and challenges, leading to a heightened vulnerability to sleep disturbances and mental health difficulties. This stage is often associated with an increased preference for eveningness, manifested as a later...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Clocks & Sleep |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/4/37 |
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| author | Forrest Tin Wai Cheung Hao Fong Sit Xiao Li Joey Wing Yan Chan Ngan Yin Chan Yun Kwok Wing Shirley Xin Li |
| author_facet | Forrest Tin Wai Cheung Hao Fong Sit Xiao Li Joey Wing Yan Chan Ngan Yin Chan Yun Kwok Wing Shirley Xin Li |
| author_sort | Forrest Tin Wai Cheung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adolescence and young adulthood are transitional periods associated with significant changes and challenges, leading to a heightened vulnerability to sleep disturbances and mental health difficulties. This stage is often associated with an increased preference for eveningness, manifested as a later chronotype. The current study aimed to investigate the directionality of the association between chronotype, based on an individual’s sleep–wake behaviour, and insomnia in young people using a two-wave panel design with a 12-month interval. A total of 370 participants aged 15–24 (mean age: 21.0 ± 2.0, 72.7% female) were recruited from local secondary schools and universities. Insomnia symptoms were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index, while chronotype was measured using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Temporal associations were analysed using a series of cross-lagged panel models. The best fitting and most parsimonious model indicated that a later chronotype at baseline predicts more severe insomnia symptoms at the 12-month follow-up after accounting for autoregressive effects. However, the opposite causal model, where baseline insomnia symptoms predicted the chronotype at the 12-month follow-up, was not supported. These findings suggest that a late chronotype may be a potential risk factor for the development of insomnia in young people, emphasising the importance of considering circadian factors in the prevention and treatment of sleep disturbances among this population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df4d6416c3c54340ade3abebc1ddb922 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2624-5175 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clocks & Sleep |
| spelling | doaj-art-df4d6416c3c54340ade3abebc1ddb9222025-08-20T02:55:56ZengMDPI AGClocks & Sleep2624-51752024-10-016455756710.3390/clockssleep6040037A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel AnalysisForrest Tin Wai Cheung0Hao Fong Sit1Xiao Li2Joey Wing Yan Chan3Ngan Yin Chan4Yun Kwok Wing5Shirley Xin Li6Sleep Research Clinic and Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong KongSleep Research Clinic and Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong KongSleep Research Clinic and Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong KongLi Chiu Kong Family Sleep Assessment Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongLi Chiu Kong Family Sleep Assessment Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongLi Chiu Kong Family Sleep Assessment Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong KongSleep Research Clinic and Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong KongAdolescence and young adulthood are transitional periods associated with significant changes and challenges, leading to a heightened vulnerability to sleep disturbances and mental health difficulties. This stage is often associated with an increased preference for eveningness, manifested as a later chronotype. The current study aimed to investigate the directionality of the association between chronotype, based on an individual’s sleep–wake behaviour, and insomnia in young people using a two-wave panel design with a 12-month interval. A total of 370 participants aged 15–24 (mean age: 21.0 ± 2.0, 72.7% female) were recruited from local secondary schools and universities. Insomnia symptoms were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index, while chronotype was measured using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Temporal associations were analysed using a series of cross-lagged panel models. The best fitting and most parsimonious model indicated that a later chronotype at baseline predicts more severe insomnia symptoms at the 12-month follow-up after accounting for autoregressive effects. However, the opposite causal model, where baseline insomnia symptoms predicted the chronotype at the 12-month follow-up, was not supported. These findings suggest that a late chronotype may be a potential risk factor for the development of insomnia in young people, emphasising the importance of considering circadian factors in the prevention and treatment of sleep disturbances among this population.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/4/37insomniachronotypeeveningnessyouthslongitudinal study |
| spellingShingle | Forrest Tin Wai Cheung Hao Fong Sit Xiao Li Joey Wing Yan Chan Ngan Yin Chan Yun Kwok Wing Shirley Xin Li A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis Clocks & Sleep insomnia chronotype eveningness youths longitudinal study |
| title | A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis |
| title_full | A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis |
| title_fullStr | A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis |
| title_short | A Longitudinal Examination between Chronotype and Insomnia in Youths: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis |
| title_sort | longitudinal examination between chronotype and insomnia in youths a cross lagged panel analysis |
| topic | insomnia chronotype eveningness youths longitudinal study |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/4/37 |
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