Abstract Introduction Adolescence is a high-risk period for insufficient sleep, yet the extent to which chronic sleep restriction contributes to sleep disturbance and mood problems, independent of psychological symptoms or compensatory weekend sleep, remains unclear. This study examined whether chronic sleep restriction, weekend sleep duration, and mood symptoms were associated with sleep quality, and whether weekend “catch-up” sleep or anxiety/depression moderated these relationships. Methods Participants were adolescents (N=110; 49% female; Mage= 16.71). Measures included the Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire (CSRQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Horne-Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory-Youth (BDI-Y). Correlations, linear regression models, and moderation models were used in SPSS v. 29. Results Shorter weekday sleep (r= -0.53, p 0.001), shorter weekly average sleep (r = -0.56, p 0.001), and greater chronic sleep restriction (r= 0.47, p 0.001) were associated with poorer sleep quality. In adjusted models, CSRQ remained the strongest predictor of PSQI (β=0.54, 95% CI 0.32, 0.76, p 0.001), accounting for 26.5% of variance. CSRQ also predicted higher anxiety (β=0.35, 95% CI 0.18, 0.52, p 0.001) and depressive symptoms (β=0.28, 95% CI 0.02, 0.54, p =0.038). Weekend sleep showed an independent trend association with anxiety (β=−0.19, p =0.055), but none of the CSRQ x Weekend Sleep or CSRQ x Mood interactions were significant (βs = 0.01 -0.06, ps 0.50), and model fit did not meaningfully improve. Conclusion Chronic sleep restriction was robustly associated with poorer sleep quality and higher anxiety and depression in adolescents. Weekend “catch-up” sleep and mood symptoms contributed independently but did not modify the impact of chronic insufficient sleep. Findings highlight chronic sleep restriction as a central target for intervention during adolescence. Support (if any)
Nichols et al. (Fri,) studied this question.