6.59 When You Can’t Sleep It Off: The Relationship Between Insomnia and Depression in Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents

Recent data by the NIMH suggest that an estimated 13.3% of the US population ages 12 to 17 years have had at least 1 episode of MDD. It is well-established that one of the core symptoms in adolescent MDD is sleep disturbance, including daytime sleepiness and insomnia. In addition, studies of adolescent sleep patterns have reported that the prevalence of insomnia in adolescents is as high as 23.8%, and a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies demonstrated that sleep disturbance is one of the primary risk factors for depression. Despite this, many of the studies looking at the relationship between insomnia and depression have been completed in the outpatient setting. Our study plans to contribute information to the literature by examining the relationship between insomnia and depression in adolescents on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Forty-nine voluntary adolescents in the age range of 13 to 17 years who were admitted to inpatient psychiatry were enrolled in this ongoing study. Children’s Report of Sleep Patterns (CRSP) Adolescent version and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) Adolescent were used to assess sleep and depression symptoms. Adolescents who were intellectually delayed or psychotic were excluded from the study. All analyses were performed using SAS v. 9.4. Depression score (using PHQ-9) and insomnia symptom score (using CRSP) demonstrated a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.54). Using the insomnia symptom score as a predictor of depression, a linear regression analysis resulted in the insomnia symptom score being a significant predictor (p < .0001), and explaining 28.0% of the variation in depression score. Our ongoing study shows positive correlation between insomnia and depression in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatry unit. Very few psychiatry inpatient adolescent studies are available in the literature exploring the relation between sleep and depression. Future studies would be helpful in understanding and addressing the role of sleep in mental health.