Psychological factors related to professional examinations and their association with sleep quality among Medical students

Abstract

Background: In our country, medical education is considered a challenging, tough, and stressful process, which is significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, particularly during exam seasons, adversely affecting the sleep quality of medical students. The objective of our study is to evaluate the depression, anxiety and stress levels, and determine their impact on sleep quality of medical students during exams. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 391 students of Rawalpindi Medical University. Data was collected through a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of (1) socio-demographic details, (2) Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21(DASS-21), (3) The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Chi-square and t-tests were applied taking P5) in second-year students with a mean value of 9.72 for global sleep quality. Quality of sleep was significantly associated with anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Depression, anxiety, and stress are common among second as well as third-year students. Second-year students have the poorest quality of sleep. The sleep quality is significantly associated with anxiety and depression.

Keywords

• Medical undergraduates, Professional exams, Psychological Factors, Sleep quality.