The characteristics of depression and sleep among Chinese high school students: A cross-sectional study

Mental health and sleep problems are among the most significant burdens of illnesses for adolescents in China. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of depression and sleep quality among high school students and compare sleep quality across students with varying levels of depression. A cross-sectional study was performed to collect data on depression and sleep quality using a paper questionnaire including a self-rating depression scale (SDS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Among all the 537 high school students, 57.0% (306 participants) experienced depression and 47.5% (255 participants) suffered from poor sleep quality. Males showed significantly greater SDS scores than females (55.2 ± 7.2 vs 53.8 ± 6.8, P = .027). Significantly greater PSQI score in high school students with moderate-to-severe depression than those with mild depression and nondepression (5.2 ± 2.7 vs 5.3 ± 2.4 vs 6.2 ± 2.3, F = 3.5, P = .032). In contrast, an adjusted logistic regression model indicated that depression severity was not an independent significant predictor of poor sleep quality after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI (all P > .05). Overall, high school students exhibited a high prevalence of depression and poor sleep quality, with those experiencing moderate-to-severe depression showing the poorest sleep quality in unadjusted comparisons. However, depression severity did not remain an independent significant predictor of poor sleep quality after adjustment. Depression and sleep problems among high school students should receive greater attention, particularly for high school students with moderate-to-severe depression.