Psychological distress and sleep quality among Sri Lankan medical students during an economic crisis.

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study examined the evidence of the prevalence of psychological distress and poor sleep among medical students and its associations during an economic crisis.DesignThis was a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. It included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).Setting and participantsThis study included medical undergraduates from a large metropolitan university in Sri Lanka.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe assessed the prevalence of psychological distress, sleep quality, and factors associated with psychological distress. To evaluate the associations, we used logistic regression.ResultsThe majority (69.2%) had some form of distress (depression, anxiety or stress), while 23% had distress in all three. Anxiety was the most prevalent (50.7%). Poor sleep quality was reported in 41%. The highest contribution to global PSQI was from sleep latency, duration, and daytime dysfunction subscales. In bivariate analysis, sleep quality was directly related to depression (t245.65 = -6.75, pConclusionsPoor sleep quality and psychological distress are high among the undergraduates. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing sleep quality and psychological wellbeing in medical undergraduates. Further research with larger and more diverse samples is needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the factors associated with psychological distress among undergraduates.