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Sleep disorders among undergraduate students in Southern Brazil

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Abstract

Purpose

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.

Methods

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).

Results

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.

Conclusions

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Caxias do Sul, Rua General Arcy da Rocha Nóbrega, 401/602, Caxias do Sul, RS, 95040-290, Brazil

    Asdrubal Falavigna

  2. Riosono Clinic, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Marcio Luciano de Souza Bezerra

  3. University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil

    Alisson Roberto Teles, Fabrício Diniz Kleber, Maíra Cristina Velho, Bruna Steiner, Natália Laste Beckenkamp, Lucas Lazzaretti, Daniel Barazzetti, Fabíola Abruzzi, Natália Baseggio, Gustavo Lisboa de Braga, Priscila Ferrari & Marcelo Vinícius de Souza

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  1. Asdrubal Falavigna
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  2. Marcio Luciano de Souza Bezerra
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  3. Alisson Roberto Teles
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  4. Fabrício Diniz Kleber
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  14. Marcelo Vinícius de Souza
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Correspondence to Asdrubal Falavigna.

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Falavigna, A., de Souza Bezerra, M.L., Teles, A.R. et al. Sleep disorders among undergraduate students in Southern Brazil. Sleep Breath 15, 519–524 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-010-0396-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-010-0396-6

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