Stability of chronotype over a 7‐year follow‐up period and its association with severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms

Abstract

Background: Chronotype is an individualʼs preferred timing of sleep and activity, and is often referred to as a later chronotype (or evening-type) or an earlier chronotype (or morning-type). Having an evening chronotype is associated with more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms. Based on these findings it is has been suggested that chronotype is a stable construct associated with vulnerability to develop depressive or anxiety disorders. To examine this, we test the stability of chronotype over 7 years, and its longitudinal association with the change in severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms.Methods: Data of 1,417 participants with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder diagnosis and healthy controls assessed at the 2 and 9-year follow-up waves of the Netherlands Study of depression and anxiety were used. Chronotype was assessed with the Munich chronotype questionnaire. Severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the inventory of depressive symptomatology and Beck anxiety inventory.Results: Chronotype was found to be moderately stable (r = 0.53) and on average advanced (i.e., became earlier) with 10.8 min over 7 years (p < .001). Controlling for possible confounders, a decrease in severity of depressive symptoms was associated with an advance in chronotype (B = 0.008, p = .003). A change in severity of anxiety symptoms was not associated with a change in chronotype. Conclusion:Chronotype was found to be a stable, trait-like construct with only a minor level advance over a period of 7 years. The change in chronotype was associated with a change in severity of depressive, but not anxiety, symptoms. K E Y W O R D Sanxiety symptoms, chronotype, depressive symptoms, test-retest

Which Are the Central Aspects of Infant Sleep? The Dynamics of Sleep Composites across Infancy

“…A 10-year-long study examining dynamics of sleep duration based on interviews from ages 1 to 10 years reported annual fluctuations, yet overall long-term stability [ 64 ]. In adults, year-to-year correlation is high for most sleep measures, especially when derived from several nights (r = 0.48–0.93) [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. While in older children, the instability of sleep behaviors might be due to measurement imprecisions and therefore is improved by using composites (shown by Staples et al), it seems that the instability of sleep behaviors in infancy is inherent in the behavior itself.…”

Which are the central aspects of infant sleep? The dynamic of sleep composites across infancy

“…A 10-year-long study examining dynamics of sleep duration based on interviews from ages 1 to 10 years reported annual fluctuations, yet overall long-term stability [63]. In adults, year-to-year correlation is high for most sleep measures, especially when derived from several nights (r = 0.48 – 0.93) [64–67] . While in older children the instability of sleep behaviors might be due to measurement imprecisions and therefore is improved by using composites (shown by Staples et al), it seems that the instability of sleep behaviors in infancy is inherent in the behavior itself.…”

Insomnia Mediates the Association between Eveningness and Suicidal Ideation, Defeat, Entrapment, and Psychological Distress in Young Adults

“…M. Wong, Hasler, Kamarck, Muldoon, & Manuck, 2015). Considering mental health and mood, eveningness is associated with higher odds of lifetime depression, as well as increased depression symptom severity, in both clinical and non-clinical samples (Antypa, Vogelzangs, Meesters, Schoevers, & Penninx, 2016;Chan et al, 2014;Druiven et al, 2020;Hertenstein et al, 2019;Norbury, 2019;Park, Lee, & Lee, 2018;Selvi et al, 2012). Hidalgo et al (2009) found E-types were five times more likely to have moderate-intense depressive symptoms than N-types in a nonclinical sample of adults.…”