1. Genetic and environmental influences on sleep-wake behaviors in adolescence
- Author
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Jane Burns, Margaret J. Wright, Kerrie McAloney, Haochang Shou, Enda M. Byrne, Nicholas G. Martin, Katie L. McMahon, Joanne S. Carpenter, Victoria S O'Callaghan, Jacob J. Crouse, Kathleen R. Merikangas, Ian B. Hickie, Narelle K. Hansell, Lachlan T. Strike, and Wei Guo
- Subjects
Sleep wake ,General Medicine ,Psychology ,Sleep in non-human animals ,Sleep duration ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
Study Objectives To investigate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on sleep-wake behaviors across adolescence. Methods Four hundred and ninety-five participants (aged 9–17; 55% females), including 93 monozygotic and 117 dizygotic twin pairs, and 75 unmatched twins, wore an accelerometry device and completed a sleep diary for 2 weeks. Results Individual differences in sleep onset, wake time, and sleep midpoint were influenced by both additive genetic (44%–50% of total variance) and shared environmental (31%–42%) factors, with a predominant genetic influence for sleep duration (62%) and restorative sleep (43%). When stratified into younger (aged 9–14) and older (aged 16–17) subsamples, genetic sources were more prominent in older adolescents. The moderate correlation between sleep duration and midpoint (rP = −.43, rG = .54) was attributable to a common genetic source. Sleep-wake behaviors on school and nonschool nights were correlated (rP = .44–.72) and influenced by the same genetic and unique environmental factors. Genetic sources specific to night-type were also identified, for all behaviors except restorative sleep. Conclusions There were strong genetic influences on sleep-wake phenotypes, particularly on sleep timing, in adolescence. Moreover, there may be common genetic influences underlying both sleep and circadian rhythms. The differences in sleep-wake behaviors on school and nonschool nights could be attributable to genetic factors involved in reactivity to environmental context.
- Published
- 2021
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