Caffeine consumption, sleep, and affect in the natural environments of depressed youth and healthy controls
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Sleep problems are a cardinal symptom of depression in children and adolescents and caffeine use is a prevalent and problematic issue in youth; yet little is known about caffeine use and its effects on sleep in youth with depression. We examined caffeine use and its relation to sleep and affect in youth's natural environments. METHODS: Thirty youth with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 23 control youth reported on caffeine use, sleep, and affect in their natural environment using ecological momentary assessment at baseline and over 8 weeks, while MDD youth received treatment. RESULTS: Youth with MDD reported more caffeine use and sleep problems relative to healthy youth. Youth with MDD reported more anxiety on days they consumed caffeine. Caffeine use among youth with MDD decreased across treatment, but sleep complaints remained elevated. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that both sleep quality and caffeine use are altered in pediatric depression; that caffeine use, but not sleep problems, improves with treatment; and that caffeine may exacerbate daily anxiety among youth with depression.
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Caffeine consumption in the MDD group was positively associated with nervousness.
“Nonetheless, since caffeine consumption in the MDD group was positively associated with nervousness, this group may have differed from the control group in caffeine consumption, and possibly in sleep quality, due to comorbid anxiety disorders in some patients.”
From Mood Disorders in Everyday Life: A Systematic Review of Experience Sampling and Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies (2012) · cites this paper as Whalen et al. (2008)
MDD youth were found to consume more caffeine than age-matched controls.
“while MDD youth were found to consume more caffeine than aged-matched controls, there appeared to be no signi fi cant association either between daily caffeine consumption and subsequent sleep or between sleep and subsequent caffeine consumption.”
From Mood Disorders in Everyday Life: A Systematic Review of Experience Sampling and Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies (2012) · cites this paper as Whalen et al. (2008)
Whalen et al. (2008) reported subjective sleep quality to be relatively poor in MDD youth.
“Whalen et al. (2008) have also reported subjective sleep quality to be relatively poor in MDD youth.”
From Mood Disorders in Everyday Life: A Systematic Review of Experience Sampling and Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies (2012) · cites this paper as Whalen et al. (2008)
There appeared to be no significant association either between daily caffeine consumption and subsequent sleep or between sleep and subsequent caffeine consumption in MDD youth.
“while MDD youth were found to consume more caffeine than aged-matched controls, there appeared to be no signi fi cant association either between daily caffeine consumption and subsequent sleep or between sleep and subsequent caffeine consumption.”
From Mood Disorders in Everyday Life: A Systematic Review of Experience Sampling and Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies (2012) · cites this paper as Whalen et al. (2008)
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- Authors
- Whalen, D. J., Silk, J. S., Semel, M., Forbes, E. E., Ryan, N. D., Axelson, D. A., Birmaher, B., & Dahl, R. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2007-10-18
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 358-367
- ISSN
- 0146-8693 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-735X
- PMC
- PMC2492889
- OpenAlex
- W2111533238
- Cited by
- 85
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 5.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Pediatric Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (P01MH041712, MH-41712, K01MH073077)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21DA024144)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Coffee research and impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- caffeine consumption, sleep disorders, affect, childhood depression, major depressive disorder, anxiety, adolescents, children, sleep quality, naturalistic assessment, treatment response
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Affect, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Beverages, Caffeine, Child, Combined Modality Therapy, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Electroencephalography, Environment, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Severity of Illness Index, Sleep Wake Disorders, Citalopram, Comorbidity, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Substance-Related Disorders, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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