Gender differences in the interference of sleep difficulties and daytime sleepiness on school and social activities in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

During adolescence, changes in the circadian and homeostatic systems, combined with psychosocial factors, create a phase delay in the sleep of adolescents. These changes in sleep are associated with increased sleep difficulties and a shortened sleep duration, which has a negative impact on daytime functioning of adolescents. Some studies showed that teenage girls report worse sleep quality and shorter sleep duration than boys during adolescence. The objective of this study was to investigate gender differences in the impact of sleep difficulties and sleepiness on daytime functioning in adolescents and to measure which aspect of sleep may interfere with daytime functioning in boys and girls.

METHOD

A total of 731 adolescents (311 boys, 420 girls; age 13 to 17,5 years) completed questionnaires on sleep and daytime functioning.

RESULTS

Compared to boys, teenage girls reported a significantly greater impact of short sleep duration and sleep difficulties on their school and social activities. Furthermore, our results suggest that the factors predicting the negative interference on daytime functioning seem to be more complex and multifactorial for girls than for boys.

CONCLUSIONS

This study further emphasizes the importance of monitoring insufficient and poor sleep quality in adolescents, as these sleep variables seem to have a significant impact on their daytime functioning. Clinicians should also take into account gender when considering sleep issues in adolescents, as teenage girls and boys have different vulnerabilities and needs.