Assessment of Sleep Quality and Perceived Stress during COVID 19 Pandemic among Students in Faculty of Medicine Suez Canal University

Abstract

Background: sleep quality and stress are interrelated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies in different parts of the world revealed that sleep quality has been lower during the lockdown period compared to the pre-lockdown period. In particular, undergraduate medical students have low sleep quality, and high stress. Objectives: to assess the sleep quality and the perceived stress of medical students at Suez Canal University during the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on students in the faculty of medicine at Suez Canal University. This achieved through an online self-administered questionnaire-based study using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and perceived stress scale questionnaires. The study conducted on 116 students collected through a stratified systematic sampling technique at 2021-2022 academic years.Results: The level of perceived stress among medical students measured by perceived stress scale (PSS) showed that about 94.8% of medical students had moderate to high levels of perceived stress. The disturbance in sleep quality among students by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index showed that students who score > 5 (had sleep disturbance) in the sleep index formed 83.6% of the total medical students.Conclusion: Providing the mental well-being of medical students is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of their participation in healthcare services in the future. Our findings concluded that stress and sleep quality in medical students affected each other during the COVID-19 pandemic and should be followed closely.