Banca de DEFESA: FERNANDA MAYARA CRISPIM DIOGO

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FERNANDA MAYARA CRISPIM DIOGO
DATE: 16/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: ENTENDENDO AS DIFERENÇAS SEXUAIS NA ADOLESCÊNCIA E O IMPACTO DA REGULARIDADE E DAS FASES DO CICLO M
TITLE:

UNDERSTANDING SEX DIFFERENCES IN ADOLESCENCE AND THE IMPACT OF THE REGULARITY AND PHASES OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE ON SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE, STRESS, MENTAL HEALTH AND COGNITION

KEY WORDS:

Sex differences; Menstrual cycle; Sleep quality; Daytime sleepiness; Anxiety; Depression.

PAGES: 184
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUBÁREA: Psicologia Fisiológica
SPECIALTY: Psicobiologia
SUMMARY:

Adolescents enrolled in morning classes often face a conflict between their endogenous and social rhythms, leading to insufficient sleep, irregular sleep schedules, and circadian misalignment, which are harmful to cognition and mental health. Moreover, male and female adolescents may be differently affected by this temporal challenge, as girls tend to have a higher need for sleep and a higher prevalence of sleep problems. Additionally, sex differences should not be assessed without considering hormonal fluctuations, which characterize the phases of the menstrual cycle and affect its regularity, acting as a moderating factor. Thus, this study aimed to analyze sex differences, considering menstrual cycle regularity and phases, in the sleep-wake cycle, mental health, and cognition of adolescents attending the first years of high school. First, high school adolescents enrolled in morning and full-time classes (F: 136/15.9±0.9 years; M: 76/16.1±1.1 years) completed the Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Next, part of the students (F: 20; M: 42) continued the protocol with sleep diaries and actigraphy (girls throughout a full menstrual cycle and boys for ten days), and performed cognitive tasks. In the first phase, female sex predicted poorer sleep quality (β=-0.43; p<0.01) and greater daytime sleepiness (β=-0.27; p<0.05). Additionally, female sex (β=-0.34; p<0.01) and irregular menstrual cycles (β=0.29; p<0.05) predicted higher stress levels and worse mental health. In the second phase, girls showed lower Sleep Regularity Index (β=0.55; p<0.01) and higher levels of stress (β=-0.90; p<0.001), anxiety (β=-0.97; p<0.001), and depression (β=-0.74; p<0.001). The luteal phase predicted a tendency toward eveningness (β=0.67; p<0.05) and higher social jetlag (β=0.70; p<0.05). In the analysis of non-parametric indices of activity-rest rhythm extracted from actigraphy, girls exhibited lower magnitude and earlier onset of M10 (p<0.05). Furthermore, lower interdaily stability (IS) of the circadian rhythm was associated with higher stress levels (β = -25.3; z = -2.04; p < 0.05). Lastly, no significant differences in cognitive performance were found in any of the analyses. Our findings indicate that female adolescents exhibit poor sleep quality, a greater need for sleep and lower resistance to sleep deprivation, associated with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. They also showed a tendency toward morningness, as indicated by the earlier onset of M10. It is worth noting that sex differences are influenced by both menstrual cycle regularity and phase; thus, conclusions about these differences without considering these aspects may be misleading.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1199136 - CAROLINA VIRGINIA MACEDO DE AZEVEDO
Interna - 1110960 - JANE CARLA DE SOUZA
Interno - 1216466 - JOHN FONTENELE ARAUJO
Externa à Instituição - BRUNA DEL VECHIO KOIKE - UNIVASF
Externo à Instituição - FERNANDO MAZZILLI LOUZADA - UFPR