An international task force to create adaptive bio-psycho-social and environmental models of sleep, circadian rhythms, and youth depression and anxiety across five continents

Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances (SCRD) play vital roles in the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety, especially during youth, a critical time for early prevention and intervention.

Currently, there is no validated framework that incorporates bio-psycho-social and environmental (BPSE) factors associated with both the individual, and the contexts in which they live, to guide the development of prevention and intervention programs.

We propose an internationally coordinated effort to understand BPSE factors associated with SCRD and their associations with depression and anxiety in youth, including: 1. Extensive involvement of people with lived experiences, from conception to dissemination. 2. Leveraging existing data from world-leading sleep and circadian research groups for knowledge discovery. 3.

Collection of new, longitudinal data in high (Australia) and low-middle income countries (Malaysia and South Africa) to locally adapt and validate models and approaches. 4.

Creation of open access frameworks (e.g., data, procedures, training materials, network of collaboration) ready for dispatch in additional geographic and cultural contexts to build research capacity and public health awareness.

This proposal will lay essential groundwork to bring together previously scattered efforts from across continents and disciplines. Outcomes will be directly translatable to research, clinical and educational practice, and policy changes.