The great recession, neurotic personality, and subjective sleep quality among patients with mood disorders

Abstract

Previous studies exploring the effects of the business cycle on sleep have mostly focused on the general population, and their results have been inconclusive. This study aimed to explore the effects of the 2008 economic crisis and personality traits on the subjective sleep quality of outpatients with mood disorders. In this cross-sectional study, patients with mood disorders were recruited from two medical centers and a psychiatric hospital. Socio-demographics, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were collected through in-person interviews. Candidate predictors significantly associated with PSQI scores in univariate analysis were included in a multiple linear regression model. There were 334 participants; 29% had unipolar depression, and 71% had bipolar affective disorder. The average PSQI score was 11.0 (±4.0). A higher degree of neuroticism [β(se) = 0.49 (0.07), p < 0.001] and recession period (vs. recovery period) [β(se) = 1.72 (0.47), p < 0.001] were associated with a higher PSQI score after adjusting for education, occupational class, and diagnosis. In conclusion, neuroticism and macroeconomy were independent predictors of subjective sleep quality in patients with mood disorders. This study suggests that large-scale economic crises have negative impacts on the sleep health of high-risk clinical populations.