Sleep characteristics, chronotype and winter depression in 10–20‐year‐olds in northern European Russia

Summary The purpose of this work was to examine the relationships between geographical coordinates and the prevalence of winter depression (SADW), and to compare the sleep characteristics and chronotype of youths with and without SADW. We conducted a cross‐sectional study of self‐reported sleep characteristics, chronotype and winter depression in northern European Russia. Two questionnaires, the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) and the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), were administered to a total of 3435 adolescents aged 10–20 years (1517 males and 1918 females). The prevalence of SADW in the study population was 8.4% and sub‐SADW 11.8%. Four variables predicted the likelihood of SADW in youths: sex [higher in females: odds ratio (OR): 1.87, P