Mental health and the knowledge and attitude towards insomnia among medical staff in China: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To assess Chinese medical staff's knowledge and attitudes towards insomnia and explore their association with mental health status. A multicentre cross-sectional survey conducted across hospitals in China using convenience sampling. Multiple hospitals across different regions of China; level of care primarily secondary. A total of 654 medical staff enrolled from 23 hospitals between April and June 2023, with 420 (64.22%) nurses. Inclusion criteria encompassed hospital staff involved in patient care; exclusion criteria included those on leave or unwilling to participate. Data on sex and ethnicity were collected but not specified in the abstract. Primary outcomes included insomnia knowledge and attitudes, assessed by a structured questionnaire. Secondary outcomes encompassed mental health status, measured via the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS)-21 (stress, anxiety and depression). The interactions between these variables were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Of the participants, 392 (59.94%) reported insomnia symptoms. The median scores for insomnia knowledge and attitudes were 16.0 (range 0-24) and 27.0 (range 7-35), respectively. The median DASS-21 score was 30.0; 189 (28.90%) experienced stress, 400 (61.16%) anxiety and 302 (46.18%) depression. SEM analysis indicated that night shift work (β=-0.101, p=0.024) and job satisfaction (β=-0.258, p<0.001) had direct effects on mental health outcomes. Medical staff showed limited understanding of insomnia and a high prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression. Targeted education, optimised shift scheduling and accessible mental health support are recommended to promote staff well-being and improve care quality. Nevertheless, the findings should be interpreted with caution because of the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling method.