Prevalence and influencing factors of sleep disorders in medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Background The prevalence of sleep disorders among medical students was high during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are fewer studies of sleep disorders in medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors influencing sleep disorders among Chinese medical students after COVID-19. Methods We enrolled 1194 medical students. The Self-administered scale was used to collect the demographic characteristics. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to assess subjects' depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders, respectively. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to identify factors that influence sleep disorders. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive value of relevant variables for sleep disorders. Results We found that the prevalence of sleep disorders among medical students after COVID-19 was 82.3%. According to logistic regression results, medical students with depression were 1.151 times more likely to have sleep disorders than those without depression (OR = 1.151, 95% CI 1.114 to 1.188). Doctoral students were 1.908 times more likely to have sleep disorders than graduate and undergraduate students (OR = 1.908, 95% CI 1.264 to 2.880). In addition, the area under the ROC curve for depression is 0.689. Conclusion The prevalence of sleep disorders among medical students is high after COVID-19. In addition, high academic level and depression are risk factors for sleep disorders. Therefore, medical colleges and administrators should pay more attention to sleep disorders in medical students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular assessment of sleep disorders and depression is extremely necessary.