Child Emotional Abuse and Adult Depressive Symptoms in a Nationally Representative Sample of Black Females: The Moderating Role of Adolescent Sleep Duration

Emotional abuse up to age 18 is associated with depressive symptoms in adulthood, yet few studies have examined these links in Black females. Despite research documenting the moderating role of sleep duration on early adversity and mental health, no studies have examined whether sleep duration during adolescence moderates the relations between emotional abuse up to age 18 and depressive symptoms in adulthood. We examined these relations in 690 Black females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health)-Public Use. Individuals reported the frequency of emotional abuse up to age 18, hours of sleep during adolescence, and depressive symptoms using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Only 55% of adolescents reported sleeping the recommended 8-10 hr per night. Frequent emotional abuse before age 18 years was associated with more adult depressive symptoms for those with shorter, but not longer, sleep duration. Greater attention should be placed on facilitating and promoting sleep health for Black females.