0646 Psychological distress as predictors of disturbed sleep among college students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Poor sleep quality is prevalent among college students and has a significant impact on their daily activities. Further, college students are under extreme pressure to excel in an academic, occupational and social context, and psychological distress often exacerbate sleep quality. This study aimed to examine relationships between psychological stress and sleep quality among undergraduate students. Methods Baseline data were obtained from students who completed self-report measures as part of a larger study (n=56; mean age 20.23 (1.5); 83.9% females). Poor sleepers were categorized when participants had at least 2 of the following indicators: excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), insomnia symptoms (Insomnia Severity Index), and poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). The Beck Depression Inventory-II assessed depressive symptoms, the PCL-5 determined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD) scale assessed for anxiety symptoms. Binary logistic regression analyses identified the association between poor sleepers, PTSD, GAD, and depressive symptoms, while adjusting for sex and body mass index (BMI). Results Approximately 33.9% of students experienced excessive daytime sleepiness, 30.4% suffered from insomnia, 89.3% had poor sleep quality, and 62.5% of the sample experienced one or more psychological stressors. Forty-eight percent of the students were categorized as poor sleepers. Using binary logistic regression, after adjusting for sex and BMI, students who experienced PTSD (OR= 1.075, 95%CI [1.023, 1.130]), GAD (OR=1.227, 95%CI [1.072, 1.406]), and depressive (OR=1.105, 95%Cl [1.023, 1.192]) symptoms had an increased risk for being poor sleepers. Conclusion Findings indicate that mental health is a core component of well-being and sleep health, and that early assessment and treatment of psychological distress may be an important strategy for intervention of poor sleep quality and disturbed sleep among college students. Support (if any) This study was funded by a Center Grant from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (Grant # P20GM103653).