ABSTRACT Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant influence on the general population’s and students’ sleep quality and mental health. However, few studies have looked into sleep, perceived changes in everyday living, and mental health issues among Saudi medical students during the pandemic. Objectives: The objective was to study sleep quality, perceived changes in daily life, and mental health among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved both male and female medical students from the 1 st to the 6 th year at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered survey questionnaire was used: sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and mental health (depression and anxiety) through the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Results: A high prevalence of poor sleep quality (91.0%) among medical students based on the PSQI criteria during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a one-unit increase in the PHQ-9 score, the PSQI score increased by an average of 0.96 during COVID-19. Conclusion: Poor sleep quality, depression, and anxiety were highly prevalent among medical students. Moreover, a significant association between sleep quality, perceived changes in daily life, and depression was observed in the study sample.
Alshumrani et al. (2024) studied this question.