Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2026 Apr 10:1-28. doi: 10.1017/neu.2026.10077. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Emotion regulation, while closely linked to depressive symptoms, has seldom been examined together with them in studies of the relationship between chronotype and suicidality. We therefore examined whether chronotype predicts suicidality through the sequential mediation of poor emotion regulation and depressive symptoms. In addition, we examined whether these mediation pathways differ between morningness and eveningness groups.
METHODS: This study included 3,109 Korean adults from the general population. Chronotype, depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, and suicidality were assessed using the Composite Scale of Morningness, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire, and the Suicidality module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, respectively.
RESULTS: Chronotype did not have a direct effect on suicidality. Instead, eveningness was indirectly linked to higher suicidality. Specifically, individuals with stronger eveningness tendencies reported poorer emotion regulation, which increased depressive symptoms; depression, in turn, predicted suicidal ideation, which emerged as a significant predictor of suicide attempts. Subgroup analyses revealed that the same sequential pathway was significant only among evening-types, but not among morning-types.
CONCLUSIONS: Chronotype appears to play a role in suicide risk in the general population. Screening for chronotype and focusing on emotion regulation and depression may enhance prevention efforts tailored to chronotype, especially for evening-type individuals.
PMID:41958295 | DOI:10.1017/neu.2026.10077
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