Date of Award

Summer 6-13-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Thane Erickson, PhD

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Keyne C. Law, PhD

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Caitlin McLean, PhD

Abstract

Adolescents and young adults face elevated risk for depression. While poor self-esteem and sleep disturbance are known risk factors, few studies have examined their unique and interactive contributions. Longitudinal research often overlooks unequal intervals and multiple sources of variance (e.g., between- and within-person). This study used continuous time structural equation modeling to address these gaps and examine relationships between self-esteem, sleep duration, and depression from adolescence into adulthood. Drawing on four waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 6,184), I tested whether sleep duration moderated the self-esteem–depression link and explored gender differences. Depression was negatively associated with both self-esteem and sleep duration at between- and within-person levels, but the sleep × self-esteem interaction was nonsignificant. Unexpectedly, depression predicted higher self-esteem, possibly reflecting differential recovery or self-protection. Gender analyses showed bidirectional associations in women, but only a unidirectional path from self-esteem to depression in men. Exploratory analyses revealed nonlinear concurrent links between sleep and depression, with both very short and very long sleep tied to higher depression symptoms, but no prospective effects. These findings challenge traditional cross-lagged interpretations and underscore the complexity of psychological change over time.

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