Sleep disorders among undergraduate students in Southern Brazil

Sleep disorders are very common in the young, being a result of the typical lifestyle lived by young people or a sleep disease that requires assistance and treatment. Furthermore, according to previous findings, sleep alterations can favor the development of depressive mood disorder. This survey aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of sleep disorders in a young population sample and their association with depressive symptoms.

With a cross-sectional study design, self-administered questionnaires were applied to 1,180 undergraduate students. The Mini-Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to evaluate sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms, respectively. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, with the main findings being the presence of disrupted sleep (MSQ > 24), with an alpha error of 5%. The median point of the MSQ was 26 (P25-P75, 21-32 points).

Sleep alterations were found in 59.6%. The prevalence of depression was 9.3% (n = 110), mild depression being identified in 5.9% (n = 62), moderate in 3.4% (n = 40), and severe in 0.7% (n = 8) of the students. In logistic regression, female gender (OR, 1.48; CI 95%, 1.09-2.01; P = 0.012) and being depressed (OR, 4.42; CI 95%, 2.30-8.50; P < 0.001) were independent factors for disrupted sleep.

Sleep alterations are prevalent complaints among young people, being present in nearly 60% of the students. Female gender and being depressed are independent factors for having some form of sleep disorder.