Preliminary findings on caffeine intake, screen time, social factors, and psychological well-being: their impact on chronotype and sleep health in Hispanic adolescents

This study examined the relationships between caffeine intake, screen time, and chronotype/sleep outcomes in adolescents, with a focus on differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups and the influence of peer network health, school environment, and psychological factors, including perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were analyzed using <i>t</i>-tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess behavioral, social, and psychological predictors of chronotype, social jet lag, and weekday sleep duration, incorporating demographic covariates. Hispanic adolescents exhibited a later chronotype (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 0.42), greater social jet lag (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 0.38), and shorter weekday sleep duration (Cohen's <i>d</i> = -0.12) compared to non-Hispanic peers. They also reported higher caffeine intake (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 0.22), though caffeine was not significantly associated with sleep outcomes. Screen time was more prevalent among Hispanic adolescents, particularly on weekday evenings (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 0.27) and weekend evenings (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 0.35), and was strongly associated with later chronotype and greater social jet lag. Higher perceived stress was linked to later chronotype and greater social jet lag, while depressive symptoms were associated with earlier chronotype and lower social jet lag. The SEM model explained 12.9% of variance in chronotype, 10.5% in social jet lag, and 6.2% in weekday sleep duration. These findings highlight disparities in adolescent sleep health but should be interpreted cautiously due to methodological limitations, including low caffeine use and assessment timing variability. Targeted interventions addressing screen time, peer relationships, and stress may improve sleep, while longitudinal research is needed to clarify causality.