ABSTRACT

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. Here we 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. 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. The current results could help inform interventions aiming to reduce substance use in young adult populations.

摘要

白天对夜晚的偏好在青年时期很常见，之前的研究将夜晚与焦虑症状以及吸烟和饮酒行为的增加联系起来。有证据表明，冲动性可能是这些关联中的一个重要解释变量，但这尚未得到全面研究。在这里，我们使用主观和客观的冲动测量来表征年轻人的冲动倾向，并研究特质冲动或特质焦虑是否可以调节晚上和物质使用之间的联系。共有 191 名大学生（169 名女性），年龄在 18-25 岁之间，完成了这项研究。通过问卷评估昼夜偏好、睡眠质量、焦虑、冲动和物质使用。冲动性也使用延迟折扣任务来衡量。晚睡与特质焦虑和特质冲动相关，在控制睡眠质量后，这些关联仍然显着。在延迟折扣任务中，晚上与偏好较小的即时奖励而不是延迟的较大奖励的倾向相关。即使在控制睡眠质量后，晚间类型的人也报告了更高水平的酒精和香烟使用。发现这些关联完全是由自我报告的冲动所介导的。焦虑没有贡献。目前的结果可能有助于为旨在减少年轻成年人群中物质使用的干预措施提供信息。傍晚与更喜欢较小的即时奖励而不是延迟的较大奖励的倾向相关。即使在控制睡眠质量后，晚间类型的人也报告了更高水平的酒精和香烟使用。发现这些关联完全是由自我报告的冲动所介导的。焦虑没有贡献。目前的结果可能有助于为旨在减少年轻成年人群中物质使用的干预措施提供信息。傍晚与更喜欢较小的即时奖励而不是延迟的较大奖励的倾向相关。即使在控制睡眠质量后，晚间类型的人也报告了更高水平的酒精和香烟使用。发现这些关联完全是由自我报告的冲动所介导的。焦虑没有贡献。目前的结果可能有助于为旨在减少年轻成年人群中物质使用的干预措施提供信息。