The longitudinal role of sleep on self-harm during adolescence: A birth cohort study
Michaela Pawley
PhD researcher at the University of Warwick, UK. Her research focuses on the longitudinal association between sleep and self-harm during adolescence. The primary aim of this is to understand better the mechanisms that contribute to and underpin the relationship between sleep and self-harm. This is driven by her joint interests in research and clinical intervention work.
The longitudinal role of sleep on self-harm during adolescence
This study investigated how sleep problems during adolescence years are linked to self-harm engagement. Both sleep difficulties and self-harm are common in adolescents, but we don’t fully understand how they might be connected. We aimed to explore how different aspects of sleep might influence self-harm, both concurrently and prospectively. We also wanted to see if decision-making played a role in this relationship.
The research used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a large UK-based study that follows children born between 2000-2002. In this study, we included over 10,000 young people and information was collected when participants were around 9 months, 14 years and 17 years old.
Sleep variables were measured when the teenagers were 14. These included how long they slept on weekdays and weekends, how long it took them to fall asleep, how often they woke up during the night, and how much their sleep patterns changed between school days and weekends (“social jetlag”). We also looked at whether teenagers reported self-harm, using data collected at ages 14 and 17. In addition, rational decision-making was measured using a popular neurocognitive task (Cambridge Gambling Task).
The results showed that teenagers who had shorter sleep on school nights, took longer to fall asleep, or woke up more during the night were more likely to self-harm at age 14. The same sleep problems also predicted self-harm three years later at age 17. These significant associations remained even when taking into account other factors like sex, socioeconomic status and depression. Interestingly, decision-making didn’t seem to affect the link between sleep problems and later self-harm.
In conclusion, the study found a clear association between poor sleep and self-harm in teenagers, both concurrently and in the future. This suggests helping young people get enough good quality, uninterrupted sleep could be an important way to reduce the risk of self-harming behaviour. Supporting healthy sleep habits during adolescence may be a key part of promoting better mental health and well-being.
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Recent publications from ESRS members
- Coiffier O, Jandric I, Caussé C, Pépin JL, Mendelson M, Bailly S.(2025) An overview of longitudinal data analyses in sleep research. Sleep Med
- Khachatryan SG, Korostovtseva L, Engstrøm M, Terziyski K, Konda S, van der Werf YD, Deleanu OC, Gnidovec-Stražišar B, Hartley S, Young P. (2025) Perspectives on Dissemination of Sleep Knowledge and Standards Across Wider Europe and Beyond, the ESRS Assembly of National Sleep Societies Experience. J Sleep Res.
- Mao F, El Marroun H, Kocevska D, Luik AI. (2025) Maternal sleep trajectories from preconception to postpartum in a population-based cohort: The Generation R next study. Sleep Med.
- Schyvens AM, Van Oost NC, Peters B, Veys F, Aerts JM, Masci F, Neven A, Dirix H, Wets G, Ross V, Verbraecken J. (2025), Objective vs perceived sleep in Belgian occupational drivers: A field study. Sleep Med.