Associations of school night sleep duration and circadian preference with middle school-aged student attendance, tardiness, and suspension.

OBJECTIVES: Research has associated both school night sleep duration (SNSD) and circadian preference (CP) with middle school-aged students' attendance and tardiness, but the interaction between these characteristics remains unexplored within this context, along with the impact of SNSD and CP on school suspension likelihood. Thus, this study investigated associations between SNSD, CP, and their interaction with middle school-aged student attendance, tardiness, and suspension, while accounting for sociodemographic characteristics. PARTICIPANTS: About 4175 students from 12 middle schools in the Madison, Wisconsin, Metropolitan School District. METHODS: Students completed a computer-based, sleep-related survey during class. Students reporting SNSD between 4 and 12 hours were included in the final analytical sample (N = 3860; mean age ± standard deviation = 12.0 ± 0.86 years; range = 10-16 years). CP was characterized using the single-item self-morningness/eveningness question. Linear mixed-effects regression estimated associations of SNSD and CP with tardiness and attendance. Logistic mixed-effects regression assessed associations with school suspension. Fully adjusted multilevel models included sociodemographic covariates, nesting students within schools. RESULTS: About 3860 student responses comprised the final sample, which had a SNSD of 8.15 ± 1.37 hours and general eveningness preference. Short-and-long SNSD associated with lower attendance and increased out-of-school suspension. Greater eveningness preference was negatively associated with attendance and tardiness. No SNSD and CP interactions emerged. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and attendance, tardiness, and suspension were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Results support need for efforts to improve middle school-aged student sleep health and account for eveningness preference. Research clarifying the interactive influence of sleep, circadian, and sociodemographic characteristics on attendance and achievement is warranted.

Potential Maladaptive Sleep-Related Cognitions in Depression with Comorbid Hypersomnolence: An Exploratory Investigation.

Objective/Background: Dysfunctional sleep-related cognitions (SRCs) have been demonstrated in both insomnia and depression, but have not been evaluated in patients experiencing depression with co-occurring hypersomnolence. Given the prominence of maladaptive thinking in depression with comorbid insomnia, dysfunctional SRCs may also exist in depressed persons experiencing hypersomnolence. Identifying potentially maladaptive SRCs may assist development of cognitive-behavioral strategies to alleviate hypersomnolence and its related impairment, particularly when comorbid with depression. Participants: Twenty-two unmedicated persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid hypersomnolence (MDD+/HYP+), as well as age- and sex-matched persons with MDD without hypersomnolence (MDD+/HYP-) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Participants completed the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep-16-item (DBAS-16) and underwent overnight polysomnography. Groups were compared across clinical and sleep domains, as well as DBAS-16 global, subscale, and individual item scores. Additional analyses evaluated DBAS-16 components while controlling for depression severity. Results: Groups significantly differed across all collected sleep and mood metrics consistent with diagnostic classification. MDD+/HYP+ DBAS-16 global score was significantly elevated, relative to HC, and was comparable to MDD+/HYP-. A DBAS-16 global score significant group effect was maintained while controlling for depression symptom severity, however only individual DBAS-16 items related to quantity and quality of sleep demonstrated particular relevance to MDD+/HYP+ compared to other groups. Conclusions: Results suggest potentially maladaptive SRCs in MDD+/HYP+. Further efforts are needed to clarify whether these beliefs and attitudes about sleep in persons with hypersomnolence are in fact dysfunctional, as well as identify relevant content for development of a novel hypersomnolence-related SRC metric.