Relationship between academic stress and sleep issues among students at Pakistani Government Medical Colleges

Objectives: To identify the relationship between academic stress and sleep issues among medical students. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: From August 6, 2022 to September 28, 2022, at 09 Government Medical Institutes of Pakistan hosted by Rawalpindi Medical University. Methodology: A study on 359 students of the MBBS from 09 Government Colleges all over Pakistan using convenient sampling technique. The study was conducted in several government colleges of Pakistan which involved students from all over Pakistan predominantly from Punjab. The questionnaire was composed of 3 sections: 1. Demographics, 2. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), 3. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The prevalence of stress was measured along with poor sleep quality and their association with each other. Results: Total response rate was 94%. The total prevalence of stress was (69.5) Mean K10 score of the participants came out as 23.54±7.732 (max=50, min=10). Incidence of poor quality of sleep (PSQI ≥ 5) amongst students came out as 84.7% and mean value of PSQI score came out as 8.54 ± 3.03 (max=21). It was observed that there was a statistically significant association between stress and sleep quality (p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study found that Pakistani medical students frequently experience academic stress and have poor sleep pattern. Stress and sleep disturbances were strongly influenced by academic pressures. Keywords: Psychological Stress, Medical Students, Sleep Quality, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale, Academic Stressors.