Effect of bright light therapy on sleep and symptoms of depression among healthy adolescents

• Main Authors: Arnar Jónsson 1999-, Bjarki Steinn L. Jónatansson 2000-
• Other Authors: Háskólinn í Reykjavík
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Sálfræði; Ljósameðferð; Unglingar; Þunglyndi; Svefn; Psychology; Phototherapy; Adolescents; Depression; Sleep; Draga; Vanda; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/44633

There has been an increasing concern regarding high prevalence of depression among adolescents and that most adolescents are considered to be sleep deprived. Finding a solution to these issues is essential. In recent years, studies where bright light therapy (BLT) has been used as a treatment on these disorders have shown promising results. Few studies have, however, examined the effects of BLT on healthy adolescents, and, therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether ambient light in classrooms could improve sleep quality, sleep duration, and reduce sleep latency and depressive symptoms among healthy adolescents. The study included 16 year old students (N = 230) in a high school in Reykjavik, Iceland. Three groups were used where lighting was changed to either bright white light (BWL) or dim white light (DWL) or kept unchanged as standard fluorescent lighting (control). The study included three measurement points, baseline and two follow-ups, where measurements of sleep and symptoms of depression were assessed. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed an insignificant effect of BLT on sleep quality, sleep duration and depressive symptoms among participants. However, when differences were examined between only the BWL and DWL groups, BLT seems to have a positive effect on sleep latency. Keywords: bright light therapy, healthy adolescents, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration Mikil vitundarvakning hefur orðið varðandi háa tíðni þunglyndis á meðal unglinga og þá staðreynd að meirihluti þeirra teljist vansvefta. Nauðsynlegt er því að finna lausn á þessum vanda. Undanfarin ár hafa rannsóknir, þar sem lýsing er notuð sem meðferð (e. bright light therapy) við þessum röskunum, lofað góðu. Fáar rannsóknir hafa hinsvegar rannsakað áhrif ljósameðferðar á heilbrigða unglinga og því var markmið þessarar rannsóknar að skoða hvort mismunandi lýsing í skólastofum gæti bætt svefngæði, aukið svefnlengd ásamt því að draga úr svefntöfum og einkennum þunglyndis á meðal heilbrigðra unglinga. ...