Examining the Directional Effects of Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms: Results From a Longitudinal Study Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Members of the Sleep and Health Research Lab and affiliates recently published an article examining the directional effects of insomnia, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Utilizing a longitudinal design, survey data were collected at two time points between 2020 and 2021. Findings indicated that insomnia symptoms were prospectively associated with subsequent depressive and anxiety symptoms, while depression symptoms predicted later anxiety symptoms. However, results did not support a temporal pathway in which anxiety precedes the development of comorbid insomnia. This research highlights the complex longitudinal associations among these symptom domains, emphasizing the need for future studies to assess temporal order even more closely.
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(Walker et al., 2026)