The Longitudinal Impact of Daytime Dysfunction on Adolescent Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: A Random Intercept Cross‐Lagged Panel Study

TL;DR

This study shows that daytime dysfunction in adolescents is linked to increased depression and anxiety symptoms over time, with social neglect playing a mediating role.

Contribution

The study introduces a longitudinal analysis using RI-CLPM to demonstrate how daytime dysfunction predicts later emotional symptoms through social ostracism.

Findings

Daytime dysfunction is positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents.

Social neglect mediates the relationship between daytime dysfunction and later anxiety symptoms.

Social ostracism is significantly linked to depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Abstract

Daytime dysfunction is a significant manifestation of sleep problems in adolescents, which increases individuals' negative emotional experiences by weakening their cognitive regulation and social adaptation. Meanwhile, emotional distress, such as depressive and anxiety symptoms, may further exacerbate daytime dysfunction, creating a negative cycle. Therefore, the present study employed a longitudinal follow‐up design to explore the bidirectional relationship between daytime dysfunction and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents.

This three‐wave longitudinal study used stratified random sampling to recruit 936 adolescents (50.96% girls; mean age = 14.37 ± 1.32 years) from four secondary schools in Bengbu, Anhui Province, China. Data were collected between September 2023 and September 2024 at 4‐month intervals. Standardized questionnaires measured daytime dysfunction, social ostracism, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Random intercept cross‐lagged panel models (RI‐CLPM) were used to examine within‐ and between‐person associations and to test the longitudinal mediating roles of two distinct forms of social ostracism.

At the between‐individual level, the results indicated a significant positive association between daytime dysfunction and depressive and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.319–0.495, p < 0.001), and a significant positive association between social ostracism and depressive and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.120–0.504, p < 0.05). The link between social ostracism and daytime dysfunction was weaker, mainly involving social rejection. At the within‐individual level, social neglect at T2 significantly mediated the longitudinal relationship between daytime dysfunction at T1 and anxiety symptoms at T3.

These findings suggest the negative impact of daytime dysfunction on adolescents' depressive and anxiety symptoms and highlight the role of social neglect in social ostracism on this influence.

Longitudinal analyses using a random intercept cross‐lagged panel model (RI‐CLPM) indicate that daytime dysfunction predicts later increases in adolescents'  depressive and anxiety symptoms, mediated by increases in social ostracism.

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