Associations Between Diurnal Preference, Impulsivity and Substance Use in a Young-Adult Student Sample
Abstract
Introduction
A diurnal preference for eveningness is common in young adulthood and previous research has associated eveningness with anxiety symptoms as well as increased smoking and alcohol use behaviors. There is some evidence that impulsivity might be an important explanatory variable in these associations, but this has not been comprehensively researched.
Method
This study used both subjective and objective measures of impulsivity to characterize impulsive tendencies in young adults and investigated whether trait impulsivity or trait anxiety could mediate the link between eveningness and substance use. A total of 191 university students (169 females), age range 18–25 y, completed the study. Diurnal preference, sleep quality, anxiety, impulsivity, and substance use were assessed by questionnaire. Impulsivity was also measured using a delay discounting task.
Results
Eveningness correlated with trait anxiety and trait impulsivity, and these associations were still significant after controlling for sleep quality. On the delayed discounting task, eveningness correlated with a tendency to prefer smaller immediate rewards over delayed, larger ones. Evening types also reported higher levels of alcohol and cigarette use even after controlling for sleep quality. These associations were found to be completely mediated by self-reported impulsivity; anxiety did not contribute.
Conclusion
The current results could help inform interventions aiming to reduce substance use in young adult populations.
Research in context
This study found that young people who stay up late and claim to function better at night are at higher risk for consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes, due to their higher impulsivity rates.
Young people who stay up late and claim they function best in the evening are known to have higher alcohol intake, smoke more cigarettes and are at greater risk of mental health issues. What we have found is that their higher levels of substance use are due to their increased impulsivity levels. The consequences of high levels of substance use can be detrimental to long term physical and mental health, and these findings suggest ways we could reduce risky substance use behaviours in young people,” said Dr. Simon Evans, co-author of the study and Lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Surrey, as per Science Daily.
Dr. Simon Evans, co-author of the study, Lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Surrey
