Sleep Quality and Its Associations with Physical and Mental Health-Related Quality of Life among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The association between sleep problems and quality of life has been well documented and the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly had an impact on both sleep quality and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, recent evidence about this relationship among university students is limited. The aims of this study are to investigate the prevalence of poor sleep quality and insomnia and to explore the associations between these outcomes, perceived stress, and HRQoL among Italian university students. An anonymous questionnaire comprising the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Short Form-12 health survey, and the Perceived Stress Scale was administered to a convenience sample of 1279 students (1119 females and 160 males, mean age: 23.4 ± 2.5 years) attending one of the largest Italian universities. A total of 65% of the participants showed poor sleep quality, whereas 55% reported insomnia symptoms. Students reporting poor sleep quality and insomnia obtained higher perceived stress scores and lower physical and mental HRQoL scores. Controlling for health-related variables and perceived stress, hierarchical regression analyses showed that sleep quality components added a significant contribution to the prediction of both physical (ΔR2 = 0.1) and mental (ΔR2 = 0.02) HRQoL. As a whole, these findings confirm the relevance of sleep for university students’ well-being and might inform the development of health promotion interventions for this population.