Association between sleep patterns, somatization, and depressive symptoms among Russian university students

ABSTRACT

In adolescents and young adults, physical and mental health are known to be associated with sleep. In this paper, we consider the connection between health indicators and sleep patterns. We collected and analyzed data of 267 master’s and bachelor’s degree students from 21 educational programs at one elite Russian university. Somatic health and mental health were measured using, respectively, the 8-item and the 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and sleep patterns were identified using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. The results indicated that shorter sleep time, later bedtime, and later rising time on workdays were associated with student somatic health. Shorter sleep on workdays was positively associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the importance of healthy sleep behavior for student health.

KEYWORDS:

• Sleep
• somatization
• depressive symptoms
• university students
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Institutional review board statement

The study was approved by the HSE University Ethics Committee. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Additional information

Funding

This article was prepared within the framework of the HSE University Basic Research Program.