Sleep Duration and Adolescent Substance Use: Parallel Mediation by Depressive Symptoms and Self-Control

Background: Insufficient sleep is a known risk factor for various adolescent health issues, yet its pathways to substance use remain unclear. This study tested whether depressive symptoms and low self-control mediate the association between sleep duration and adolescent substance use. Methods: Data were drawn from 47,572 Florida middle and high school students participating in the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Multilevel generalized structural equation modeling assessed direct and indirect associations between sleep duration, depressive symptoms, self-control, and substance use. Results: Shorter sleep duration was significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms (b = –0.11), lower self-control (b = –0.06), and higher expected substance use. Each additional hour of sleep corresponded to a 3% decrease in past 30-day substance use (IRR = 0.97). Both depressive symptoms and self-control independently predicted substance use and significantly mediated the relationship between sleep and substance use. Conclusions: Adequate sleep appears to protect against adolescent substance-use risk by reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing self-control. Findings support both general strain and self-control theories, which point to the critical role of sleep in youth prevention efforts.