Effects of sleep quality on mental health and academic performance among final-year pharmacy students at a university in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Pharmacy students have a rigorous academic workload that can interfere with their sleeping time. This study aimed to determine the correlates of sleep quality with mental health and academic performance of final-year pharmacy students at a Nigerian university.Method: The present study used the paper-based self-administered questionnaires such as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional study among final-year pharmacy students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. The questionnaires were validated and reliable, as their Cronbach’s alpha were within acceptable range (α > 0.7). The examination score in clinical pharmacy courses was used to assess students' academic performance. The data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation.Results: Of the 274 respondents, about 186 (68%) students had bad sleeping habits. The prevalence of anxiety and depression were found to be present in 134 (48.9%) and 128 (46.7%), respectively. Anxiety (r = 0.229, p 0.05).Conclusion: The quality of sleep among final-year pharmacy students was linked to anxiety and depression. However, student’s sleep quality has no bearing on academic success.

Keywords

• academic success
• mental health
• nigeria
• pharmacy students
• sleep quality