The following is a summary of “Sleep disturbances and incident risk of major depressive disorder in a population-based cohort,” published in the August 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Solelhac et al.
Sleep disturbances are commonly seen in major depressive disorder (MDD), but how they impact the risk of developing MDD in the general population is not well understood.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring the links between polysomnography (PSG)-based and subjective sleep features and the risk of developing MDD.
They included people from the general population who had never had MDD. Participants had to choose between completing sleep questionnaires (n = 2000) or having PSG (n = 717). Over 8 years, they underwent psychiatric interviews for MDD diagnosis, with Survival Cox models used to study sleep features and MDD risk.
The results showed that higher Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores and insomnia symptoms were linked to a greater chance of MDD (HR 1.062 [95% CI 1.022–1.103], P=0.002; HR 1.437 [95% CI 1.064–1.940], P=0.018). Men with more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep density had a higher MDD risk (HR 1.270 [95% CI 1.064–1.516], P=0.008), while women with higher delta power spectral density had a lower MDD risk (HR 0.674 [95% CI 0.463–0.981], P=0.039).
Investigators concluded that both subjective and objective sleep features are connected to the risk of developing MDD in a large community-based group.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178124002191
