Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42849892›Full record

ArticleJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2026

Does later chronotype cause poorer adolescent mental health? An adolescent brain cognitive development study.

Rachel Visontay, Hollie R Byrne, Emma K Devine, Mirim Shin, Emiliana Tonini, Gabrielle Hindmarsh, Joanne S Carpenter, Ty Brumback, Lindsay M Squeglia, Louise Mewton and 2 more

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Article in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Rachel VisontayThe Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Hollie R ByrneThe Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Emma K DevineThe Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8110-6445
Mirim ShinYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1648-341X
Emiliana ToniniYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Gabrielle HindmarshYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Joanne S CarpenterYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Ty BrumbackSchool of Psychology, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Lindsay M SquegliaDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Louise MewtonThe Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Ian B HickieYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Jacob J CrouseYouth Mental Health and Technology Team, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

Mentoring Clinical Investigators in Patient-Oriented Adolescent Alcohol ResearchK24AA031052 · NIAAA · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · PI Lindsay Squeglia · 2024 to 2026
$644k
Brain and Mind Centre, University of SydneyNational Health and Medical Research Council 2008196National Health and Medical Research Council 2016346NIAAA NIH HHS K24AA031052
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study investigated whether chronotype (biobehavioral preference for sleep and wake timing) across early adolescence impacts mental health symptoms at age 13-14. This is a relationship with growing correlational evidence but limited causal exploration.

methodsParticipants were 7,489 adolescents (aged 9-10 at baseline; 13-14 at the fifth assessment wave) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD). Marginal structural models with machine learning-based weight estimation were used to assess the causal impact of chronotype at ages 11-12 and 12-13, as measured by the youth-reported Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, on several dimensions of mental health symptoms at age 13-14 (parent-reported Child Behavioral Checklist internalizing and externalizing values, n = 2,668; child-reported Prodromal Psychosis Scale, n = 2,698).

resultsThere was no effect of chronotype at age 11-12 on any outcome. However, later chronotype at age 12-13 was associated with slightly more severe externalizing symptoms (b = .29, p = .04) and more psychotic-like experiences at age 13-14 (b = .05, p = .02), but not with more severe internalizing symptoms. Post hoc analyses indicated the lack of relationship with internalizing held for both anxiety and depression symptoms and in both sexes.

conclusionsThere are likely causal effects of adolescent chronotype on mental health symptoms, but these are dependent on the dimension of mental health and period of adolescence. The typically reported association between later chronotype and more severe internalizing symptoms may not manifest until later adolescence (such as with the common postpubertal shift in chronotype).

Indexed as

causalitychronobiologyCircadiandepressionsleepyouth

Identifiers

PMID42849892

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.