He Jin, Zhang Shuqi, Yang Qingzhen, Liu Daoli, Xiao Weixia, Zheng Mufan, Li Hengfen
Department of Psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
Department of Psychiatry, the Mental Health Center of Hebei Province, Baoding, Hebei, 071030, China.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 May 22;25(1):521. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06942-w.
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronotypes among male prisoners in China and to examine the relationship between chronotype, insomnia, and depressive symptoms in this population.
A total of 1609 male inmates participated in this cross-sectional study by completing the Morning and Evening Questionnaire-5 (MEQ-5), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Age, time served, insomnia, and depressive symptoms were compared across chronotypes. Binary logistic stepwise regression was used to analyze factors influencing depression. Additionally, a simple mediation model incorporating MEQ-5, ISI, and PHQ-9 was analyzed, with age controlled as a covariate.
The prevalence of morning type (MT), neutral type (NT), and evening type (ET) was 47.2%, 46.7%, and 6.1%, respectively. Being an ET was significantly associated with younger age and increased symptoms of insomnia and depression (P < 0.05). The relative risk of depression was 2.970-fold higher (95% CI, 1.724 to 5.116; P < 0.001) for ET compared to MT. Mediation analysis revealed that insomnia partially mediated the relationship between chronotype and depression, while the direct effect of chronotype on depression was also significant (accounting for 50.51% of the total effect).
The prevalence of ET is relatively low among male prisoners. Resetting ET tendencies may reduce depressive symptoms in this population.
本研究旨在估计中国男性囚犯的昼夜节律类型患病率，并探讨该人群中昼夜节律类型、失眠与抑郁症状之间的关系。
共有1609名男性囚犯参与了这项横断面研究，他们完成了早晚问卷-5（MEQ-5）、失眠严重程度指数（ISI）和患者健康问卷-9（PHQ-9）。比较了不同昼夜节律类型的年龄、服刑时间、失眠和抑郁症状。采用二元逻辑逐步回归分析影响抑郁的因素。此外，分析了一个包含MEQ-5、ISI和PHQ-9的简单中介模型，并将年龄作为协变量进行控制。
早晨型（MT）、中性型（NT）和夜晚型（ET）的患病率分别为47.2%、46.7%和6.1%。ET与较年轻的年龄以及失眠和抑郁症状增加显著相关（P<0.05）。与MT相比，ET患抑郁症的相对风险高2.970倍（95%CI，1.724至5.116；P<0.001）。中介分析显示，失眠部分介导了昼夜节律类型与抑郁之间的关系，而昼夜节律类型对抑郁的直接影响也显著（占总效应的50.51%）。
男性囚犯中ET的患病率相对较低。调整ET倾向可能会减轻该人群的抑郁症状。
