The association of stress with sleep quality among medical students at King Abdulaziz University.

Safhi, Maha A; Alafif, Raghad A; Alamoudi, Nouf M; Alamoudi, Malak M; Alghamdi, Wejdan A; Albishri, Shatha F; Rizk, Hisham · J Family Med Prim Care · 2020

cross_sectional · Level IV

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Abstract

This study aims to determine the prevalence and the association of stress with sleep quality among medical students at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was done among 326 medical students of KAU using a stratified random sampling technique. An electronic self-administered questionnaire was used. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to assess the stress and sleep quality, respectively. The overall students who experienced stress were 65%. The prevalence of poor sleep quality (total PSQI score ≥5) was 76.4%. There was a strong association between stress and poor sleep quality (value of Cramer's <i>V</i> = 0.371, <i>P</i> < 0.001), and it showed that the increase in stress level is a significant predictor of poor sleep quality. A high prevalence of stress and poor sleep quality was found among the students and the study confirms a strong association between them. We recommend establishing courses focusing on educating the students about proper sleep hygiene and how to deal with the stressful environment.