Association between sleep disturbances and suicidal thoughts in a large sample of university students
The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. 2025-12-05; : 1-9
DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2025.2595568
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https://www.bordeaux-neurocampus.fr/12359
Adjahou O(1), Geoffroy PA(2)(3)(4), Micoulaud-Franchi JA(5)(6), Philip P(5)(6),
Tzourio C(1), Coelho J(5)(6), Macalli M(1).
Author information:
(1)Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, University of Bordeaux, Inserm,
Bordeaux, France.
(2)Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, AP-HP, GHU Paris Nord, DMU
Neurosciences, Hopital Bichat – Claude Bernard, Paris, France.
(3)Center ChronoS, GHU Paris – Psychiatry & Neurosciences, Paris, France.
(4)University of Paris Cité, Inserm, NeuroDiderot, Paris, France.
(5)University of Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, Bordeaux, France.
(6)University Sleep Clinic, Univ. Hospital of Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Leon,
Bordeaux, France.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between sleep and suicidal thoughts in
French university students.
METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from the
i-Share study, i.e. a database of health information for a large cohort of
students. Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for potential
confounders were used to assess the association between sleep and suicidal
thoughts. Missing data were imputed.
RESULTS: In the sample of 6411 participants, nearly one in five students
reported having suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months: 17.7% reported
occasional suicidal thoughts (yes, it has happened to me) and 4.6% reported
frequent suicidal thoughts (yes, multiple times). One in five students (21.5%)
reported frequent insomnia (≥3 times per week). After adjustment, the risk of
frequent suicidal thoughts was 50% higher in students with insomnia than in
those without insomnia. The frequency of suicidal thoughts increased with the
frequency of sleep problems. Similar results were observed for sleepiness, sleep
deprivation, and sleep quality.
CONCLUSIONS: An association was found between each sleep disturbance and
suicidal thoughts after adjusting for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Sleep is
a readily assessable clinical marker of suicidal thoughts and may be a more
acceptable treatment target than other behaviours.
DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2025.2595568
PMID: 41347909