Exploring chronotype, sleep disturbances, and temperament in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

This study aimed to explore sleep problems, chronotype, and temperament traits between adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls, and to examine how these variables relate within the ADHD group. One hundred and two adolescents with ADHD aged 11–17 recruited from Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic and 101 age and gender matched healthy controls participated in the study. Assessments included the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL), Junior Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (J-TCI-R), Children’s Chronotype Questionnaire (CCTQ), and Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Adolescents with ADHD showed significantly higher rates of sleep disturbances and a greater prevalence of evening chronotype (63.7%) compared to controls. ADHD participants scored higher in novelty seeking and harm avoidance, while controls exhibited greater persistence and self-directedness. Notably, novelty seeking was pronounced in those with an evening chronotype and positively correlated with sleep disturbances, including difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep. Logistic regression analyses indicated that novelty seeking and age significantly predicted evening chronotype, while linear regression revealed that both novelty seeking and M/E scores predicted SDSC total scores. The findings underscore the clinical significance of addressing the interplay between chronotype, sleep disturbances, and temperament traits in adolescents with ADHD.