scholarly journals Sleep Quality, Insomnia Symptoms, and Depressive Symptomatology among Italian University Students before and during the Covid-19 Lockdown

Author(s):  
Lorenzo Viselli ◽  
Federico Salfi ◽  
Aurora D’Atri ◽  
Giulia Amicucci ◽  
Michele Ferrara

The COVID-19 pandemic led world authorities to adopt extraordinary measures to counteract the spread of the virus. The Italian government established a national lockdown from 9 March to 3 May 2020, forcing people in their homes and imposing social distancing. During the pandemic emergency, university students emerged as a vulnerable category. Indeed, higher rates of sleep problems and mental disorders were reported in this population. However, these outcomes were derived from cross-sectional investigations adopting retrospective assessments. Retrospective evaluations suffer from different biases, putatively leading to erroneous outcomes. To overcome this limitation, we adopted a between-subject approach comparing a sample of 240 Italian undergraduate university students assessed in 2016 (mean age ± standard deviation, 20.39 ± 1.42, range 18–25; 80.42% females), with an age/gender-matched sample of university students assessed during the third week of lockdown in Spring 2020. We evaluated sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, and depressive symptomatology using validated questionnaires. We found worse sleep quality, a delayed bedtime, and more severe insomnia and depression symptoms in the students sampled under COVID-19 restrictive measures. We suggest paying special attention to this at-risk population during the current pandemic emergency and applying preventive and supportive interventions to limit the exacerbation of sleep and psychological problems.

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Li ◽  
Afton Kechter ◽  
Richard E. Olmstead ◽  
Michael R. Irwin ◽  
David S. Black

ABSTRACTThe aim of this analysis was to test if changes in insomnia symptoms and global sleep quality are associated with coinciding changes in depressed mood among older adults. We report on results yielded from secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a clinical trial of older adults (N = 49) aged 55 to 80 years who reported at least moderate levels of sleep problems. All measures were collected at baseline and after the trial ten weeks later. We computed change scores for two separate measures of disturbed sleep, the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and tested their association with change in depressed mood (Beck Depression Inventory-II; BDI-II) in two separate linear regression models adjusted for biological covariates related to sleep (sex, age, body mass index, and NF-κB as a biological marker previously correlated with insomnia and depression). Change in AIS scores was associated with change in BDI-II scores (β = 0.38, p < 0.01). Change in PSQI scores was not significantly associated with change in BDI-II scores (β = 0.17, p = 0.26). Our findings suggest that improvements over ten weeks in insomnia symptoms rather than global sleep quality coincide with improvement in depressed mood among older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Wang ◽  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Wei Ding ◽  
Yao Meng ◽  
Huiting Hu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), people are under the dual pressure of interpersonal isolation and concerns about infection. An evaluation of people’s psychological status and risk factors is needed to conduct target interventions. Methods. This was a nationwide, multicenter, cross-sectional study using quota and snowball sampling methods during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Participants’ characteristics and experiences were obtained by an online questionnaire and telephone review. Psychological distress and sleep problems were measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Results. A total of 23,500 participants were recruited, and 19,372 valid questionnaires were received from 11 centers. Overall, 11.0–13.3% of the participants had anxiety, depression, or insomnia symptoms, and 1.9–2.7% had severe symptoms. The prevalence of psychological and sleep problems has increased. Working as frontline medical staff (Odds Ratio OR = 3.406), living in Hubei Province (OR = 2.237), close contacts with COVID-19 (OR = 1.808), and age 35–49 years (OR = 1.310) were risk factors for anxiety symptoms; no outside activity for 2 weeks (OR = 2.167) and age 35–49 years (OR = 1.198) were risk factors for depression symptoms; and living in Hubei Province (OR = 2.376), no outside activity for 2 weeks (OR = 1.927), and age 35–49 years (OR = 1.262) were risk factors for insomnia symptoms. Only 1.9% of participants received counseling during the epidemic. Conclusions. Psychological and sleep problems increased during interpersonal isolation due to COVID-19. Current psychological interventions are far from sufficient.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emre Selcuk ◽  
Sarah C. E. Stanton ◽  
Richard B. Slatcher ◽  
Anthony D. Ong

The present study investigated whether perceived partner responsiveness—the extent to which individuals feel cared for, understood, and validated by their partner—predicted subjective sleep problems and objective (actigraph-based) sleep efficiency through lower anxiety and depression symptoms. A life span sample of 698 married or cohabiting adults (35–86 years old) completed measures of perceived partner responsiveness and subjective sleep problems. A subset of the sample ( N = 219) completed a weeklong sleep study where actigraph-based measures of sleep efficiency were obtained. Perceived partner responsiveness predicted lower self-reported global sleep problems through lower anxiety and depression and greater actigraph-assessed sleep efficiency through lower anxiety. All indirect associations held after controlling for emotional support provision to the partner, agreeableness, and demographic and health covariates known to affect sleep quality. These findings are among the first to demonstrate how perceived partner responsiveness, a core aspect of romantic relationships, is linked to sleep behavior.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gowranga Kumar Paul ◽  
Meshbahur Rahman ◽  
Shayla Naznin ◽  
Mashfiqul Haq Chowdhury ◽  
Md Jamal Uddin

Abstract Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest public health concern. It harmed everyone, both physically and mentally. Because of panic situations in COVID-19 pandemic, students all over the world, including those in Bangladesh, are suffering from depression and anxiety. Considering this, we aimed to assess psycho-emotional changes of the university students through investigating their level of depression and anxiety effects during panic and post-panic period of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.Methods: Cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among university students in Bangladesh from April to July 2020 (panic period, n=170) and then from August to November 2020 (post-panic period, n=170). The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires were used to assess respondents' depression and anxiety levels, respectively. We used continuous scores to assess the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. We also computed binary depression and anxiety scores. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: The proportion of depression symptoms was 49.4% during the panic period and 52.4% after the panic period. Anxiety symptoms were experienced by 38.2% of students during the panic period, and this percentage was nearly identical in the post-panic interval. Depression levels increased in the post-panic period and urban students have significantly (P< 0.05) higher levels of depression and anxiety than their counterparts. Female students also exhibited significantly more anxious symptoms (p=0.002) than male. Depression symptoms significantly vary by family types, students place of residence whereas students age, gender, education, family head's occupation, time period and family economic condition found no significant association with the depression.Conclusions: Students during the post-panic period have a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms than during the panic period. Although the difference was small, it was still concerning for university students in Bangladesh because it interfered with their academic life.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0251557
Author(s):  
Angela F. Lukowski ◽  
Dmitry Tsukerman

University students commonly experience sleep problems which have implications for daily functioning and academic achievement. For this reason, research is needed to identify modifiable individual difference variables that may contribute to better sleep in this population. Temperament and sleep hygiene may be two such factors. As part of a larger study, 167 university students (61.7% female) completed online questionnaires that inquired about temperament (the Adult Temperament Questionnaire; ATQ), sleep hygiene behavior (the Sleep Hygiene Index; SHI), global sleep quality (the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; PSQI), and insomnia severity (the Insomnia Severity Index; ISI). Correlations amongst the included measures were in the predicted direction: effortful control was negatively associated with the SHI composite, PSQI global scores, and ISI scores; extraversion was negatively related to PSQI global scores; and negative affect was positively associated with the SHI composite and ISI scores. In addition, the SHI composite mediated the association between effortful control and the PSQI global scores as well as the association between negative affect and PSQI global scores; similar patterns of mediation were found when considering ISI scores, although the direct effects differed. That is, negative affect was directly associated with ISI scores but not PSQI global scores. These findings suggest that interventions designed enhance effortful control, reduce negative affect, and improve sleep hygiene may contribute to better global sleep quality and decrease insomnia in university students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mutia Annisa ◽  
Dwi Nurviyandari Kusuma Wati

<p class="AbstractContent"><strong>Objective:</strong> Elderly are at risk of poor slepp quality and other health problems due to reduced sleep satisfaction. The objective of this study was to explore the association between sleep hygiene and sleep quality in elderly.</p><p class="AbstractContent"><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a descriptive study with cross sectional design. The study was conducted in four elderly care institutions in Jakarta, Indonesia, involving a purposive sample of 103 elderly aged 60 to 111 years old. Data were collected using Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).</p><p class="AbstractContent"><strong>Results:</strong> Over half of the residents had poor sleep hygiene (51.5%) and more than three quarter (81.6%) had poor sleep quality. The study revealed that there was a highly significant relationship between sleep hygiene and sleep quality (p = 0.001). The study also showed that those with poor sleep hygiene were 7.834 times more likely to have poor sleep quality.<strong></strong></p><p class="AbstractContent"><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Nurses need to include interventions that may address residents’ sleep problems. They also need to promote sleep hygiene and improve residents’ sleep quality.<strong></strong></p><strong>Keywords: </strong>elderly, institution, sleep hygiene, sleep quality


2021 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2020-139618
Author(s):  
Nouf A AlShamlan ◽  
Reem S AlOmar ◽  
Abdullah Zuhair Al-Sahow ◽  
Abeer A AlShamlan ◽  
Bayan Mohammed Almir ◽  
...  

Purpose of the studyTo assess the attitudes and acceptance of cosmetic surgeries and procedures among undergraduate university students in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, as well as the barriers against having cosmetic surgeries and procedures.Study designA cross-sectional study of undergraduate university students in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, during October 2020. The research instrument included the Attitudes towards Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS), sociodemographic data and perceived barriers towards cosmetic surgeries and procedures. A bivariate analysis was performed followed by a linear regression to account for confounders.ResultsA total of 1240 students participated in the study. The mean ACSS for cosmetic surgeries was 3.14 (±1.37 SD), and 3.25 (±1.49 SD) for cosmetic procedures. Older students, students with a history of previous cosmetic surgeries/procedures, and students with engineering specialties had more acceptance scores in both cosmetic surgeries and procedures. On the other hand, men, students belonging to a middle family income and students who perceived themselves to be aware of the risk associated with cosmetic surgeries/procedures had less acceptance scores. The most reported barrier to have cosmetic surgeries and procedures among students was feeling that they do not need it.ConclusionThe findings from the current study could help dermatologists, plastic surgeons and adolescent specialists wishing to recognise the rising interest in cosmetic surgeries and procedures in Arabic youth populations, the possible associated factors, as well as the barriers to have these surgeries and procedures. A further qualitative in-depth study to explore the acceptance is suggested.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Petersen ◽  
Matt McGue ◽  
Qihua Tan ◽  
Kaare Christensen ◽  
Lene Christiansen

A complex interrelation exists between change in depression symptomatology and cognitive decline. Studies indicate either that depression is a direct risk factor for cognitive change over time, or vice versa. Longitudinal twin studies provide the possibility to unravel cause and effect of correlated traits. Here, we have applied twin modeling approaches to shed light on the genetic correlation between both level and change of depression symptomatology and cognitive functioning, and to further explore the bidirectionality of any such correlation using assessments of both phenotypes at two occasions 10 years apart. The study included 2,866 Danish twins with a mean age of 56.8 years at intake (range: 45–68 years). Of these, 1,267 were intact pairs. A total number of 1,582 twins (55%), of whom 557 were intact pairs, participated in the follow-up survey. We found stable cross-sectional heritability estimates of approximately 60% for general cognitive abilities and 30% for affective depressive symptoms. There was a considerable decline in the mean cognitive performance over 10 years, whereas the mean affective depression symptoms score was stable and with no genetic contribution to any individual change. Additionally, we saw a small but significant cross-trait correlation at both occasions (-0.11 and -0.09, respectively), but cross-trait cross-occasion analysis revealed no evidence that either of the two traits predicts the other over a 10-year interval. Thus, our study was not able to detect any causal association between change in depressive symptomatology and cognitive decline in middle-aged and elderly people over a 10-year interval.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tülin Gençöz ◽  
Yeşim Özlale ◽  
Randy Lennon

The aim of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of social support on psychological well-being. Social support was evaluated under two different categories which were named as Aid-Related and Appreciation-Related Socia+l Support. The first category was more related to potential for receiving help from others when needed, and being cared for by others, while the latter category was more related to being recognized by others as an efficient source of help and reassurance of worth. Undergraduate university students (N =342) served as subjects, and results revealed that aid-related social support and psychological well-being (i.e., alleviated depression symptoms) association was partially mediated by experiencing fewer life stresses. On the other hand, appreciation-related social support had a direct effect on psychological well-being. Implications of these results are discussed.


Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer

AbstractBackgroundVigorous physical activity (VPA) may be beneficial for mental health. The aim of the study was to investigate cross-sectional associations between VPA, perceived stress, sleep quality and quantity and mental health among university students.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, using anonymous questionnaires, data was collected from 15122 (42.1% male and 57.9% female) university students [mean age 20.6, standard deviation (SD) = 2.0] from 23 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia. They were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short version), and measures of sociodemographic, health status, health behaviour and anthropometrics.ResultsStudents who met VPA recommendations were less likely to report perceived stress, more likely to report subjective good health and depression than students without VPA. There was no association between VPA and sleep quality and quantity and PTSD symptoms.ConclusionThis study only found partial benefits of VPA in relation to well-being of university students.


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