Insomnia and other sleep-related problems during the remission period of the COVID-19 pandemic: A large-scale survey among college students in China

Authors：Zhang, Yifan; Wang, Dongfang; Zhao, Jingbo; Chen, Xiao-Yan; Chen, Huilin; Ma, Zijuan; Yu, Qian; Wang, Tong; Chen, Zihao; Jiang, Jiaqi; Zhu, Zhiyi; Huang, Shuiqing; Fan, Fang^*; Liu, Xianchen

Source：PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH, 2021, 304: 114153.

DOI：10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114153

• Sleep-related problems
• COVID-19
• Predictors
• College students

This study aimed to evaluate the sleep-related problems and predictors of probable clinical insomnia among college students during the COVID-19 remission period in China. 146,102 college students from 22 colleges/ universities in Guangdong province participated in this study from 1th to 15th June, 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess demographic characteristics. Sleep-related problems, depression and anxi-ety symptoms were measured by Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Gener-alized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, respectively. The prevalence of difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, sleep insufficiency, unrefreshing sleep and daytime functioning impairment were 7.2%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 9.6%, 14.6%, and 7.6%, respectively. 16.9% students had varying degrees of insomnia and 6.3% were considered as displaying probable clinical insomnia. Moreover, being urban residents, having a history of physical or mental illness, and probable clinical depression or anxiety were significant risk factors of probable clinical insomnia, while college senior degree and 7-8 hours' sleep duration per day was the protective factor for probable clinical insomnia. Unrefreshing sleep was the most prominent sleep problem among college students during COVID-19 remission in China. Good sleep hygiene practices are strongly sug-gested to develop in the time of prolonged home isolation.

• Institution
  南方医科大学