{
  "abstract": "Psychological and behavioral interventions for insomnia are increasingly recognized as promising approaches not only to improve sleep but also to influence mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of insomnia-focused psychological and behavioral interventions on depressive symptoms, with particular attention to potential across selective and indicated prevention as well as adjunctive treatment contexts. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and major Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang) from inception to December 30, 2025. Randomized controlled trials comparing psychological or behavioral insomnia interventions with control conditions and reporting changes in depressive symptoms in children and adolescents were included. Random-effects meta-analyses, meta-regression analyses, and within-arm standardized mean change analyses were performed. Eight studies comprising 904 participants (mean age=13.46 years) were identified. Across all studies, depressive symptoms improved from baseline to post-intervention, with a significant overall benefit of insomnia-focused interventions compared with control conditions (SMD=0.238, 95% CI=0.088–0.387, p=0.0019). Within-arm analyses indicated that effects in passive-comparator studies reflected genuine intervention benefit rather than spontaneous remission. Subgroup analyses showed no significant moderation by delivery format or setting, including digital interventions. The high intervention completion rate across trials (87%) supports the potential of insomnia as an indirect, less-stigmatizing entry point for depression prevention in children and adolescents — consistent with frameworks proposing that targeting comorbid, causally linked conditions may reduce depressive symptoms while lowering barriers to engagement. Integrating evidence-based insomnia interventions into clinical, school-based, and digital settings could substantially extend the reach of early mental health strategies.\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03146-9.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center of Integrative Psychiatry GmbH, Christian-Albrecht University Kiel, Kiel, Germany",
    "Faculty of Social Work and Childhood Education, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany",
    "Key Laboratory of Intelligent Drug Research and Development for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China",
    "Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, MSH Medical School Hamburg - University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Hamburg, Germany",
    "Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Neurology of Rostock, University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany",
    "German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Partner Site Greifswald/Rostock, Rostock, Germany",
    "Department of Health Psychology and Applied Biological Psychology, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Britta Galling",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4390-0207"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jiamiao Wu",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-3076-9088"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Amelie Oberstadt",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-8488-4244"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Alexander Dück",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5925-1942"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Le Xiao",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4323-036X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Alexander Prehn-Kristensen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3510-9888"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Dirk Lehr",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5560-3605"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0tpfx0ywx77d5.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/s00787-026-03146-9",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13696559/",
  "id": "0tpfx0ywx77d5",
  "issns": [
    "1018-8827",
    "1435-165X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03146-9",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3205|Sleep and related disorders"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7196957684",
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00787-026-03146-9.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13696559",
  "pmid": "42560515",
  "published": "2026-08-06",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0tpfx0ywx77d5.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:53Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13696559",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-026-03146-9"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3203|Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effects of insomnia-focused psychological and behavioral interventions on depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "title_text": "Effects of insomnia-focused psychological and behavioral interventions on depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:52Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0tpfx0ywx77d5",
  "venue": "European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry",
  "versions": []
}